Contaminated Vessels

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Monday, 22nd January 2007
Recently, a good friend of mine brought up the topic of "contaminated vessels", saying that we need to be wary of such people because God’s Word cannot be spoken through them.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that this should not be the case. To a greater or lesser extent, all of us are earthen vessels (or jars of clay), but God has chosen to place His treasures in us (2 Cor 4:7). Just because the messenger has imperfections, it does not change the fact that the Message itself is perfect. Throughout the Bible, we see God using "contaminated vessels" to carry out His greater purpose.

Take for example, the genealogy of Jesus as recorded in Matt 1. Here, we see the names of 4 women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba being mentioned among the names of men, viz:

Matthew 1: The Genealogy of Jesus
1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud,
15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Now, why did the Holy Spirit see it fit to specifically mention the names of these 4 women, yet did not mention more prominent names like that of Sarah, Rebekah and Leah? Let’s find out the background of these women:

1. Tamar

Genesis 38:6-27

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house. 12 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," 14 she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. 17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. 18 He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again. 20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said. 22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.' " 23 Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her."

24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!" 25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." 26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.

27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.

In short, Tamar was a widow who lost 2 husbands. She wanted a son, so she disguised herself as a prostitute to seduce her father-in-law Judah. Through that union, Perez came forth. Now, would you say that Tamar was a "contaminated vessel"?


2. Rahab

Joshua 2:3-6

3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.)

Joshua 6:17
17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.

Joshua 6:23
23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Joshua 6:25
25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

In short, Rahab was a harlot, who lied to her own king that she did not harbour illegal immigrants (which by the way, is a crime here in Singapore punishable by caning). Would a prostitute and a liar be considered a "contaminated vessel" in today’s context?


3. Ruth

Ruth 3:1-18

1 One day Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, should I not try to find a home for you, where you will be well provided for? 2 Is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been, a kinsman of ours? Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don't let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do."

5 "I will do whatever you say," Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man, and he turned and discovered a woman lying at his feet. 9 "Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she said. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer."

10 "The LORD bless you, my daughter," he replied. "This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don't be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All my fellow townsmen know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am near of kin, there is a kinsman-redeemer nearer than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning."

14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, "Don't let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor." 15 He also said, "Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out." When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and put it on her. Then he went back to town.

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, "How did it go, my daughter?" Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, "He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, 'Don't go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.' " 18 Then Naomi said, "Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today."

In short, Ruth was a Moabite Gentile and a widow. She was told by her mom-in-law Naomi to lie at the feet of a very rich man called Boaz, to indicate to him that she was single and available. In today’s context, would such behaviour cause others to label her a "contaminated vessel"?


4. Bathsheba – Uriah’s wife

2 Samuel 11:1-27

1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.

5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant." 6 So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. 10 When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?" 11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!" 12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." 16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' "

22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead." 25 David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

26 When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

This one probably needs no introduction. Bathsheba deliberately took a bath in full view of King David. One thing led to another, and she ended up in bed with him. She got pregnant so the king arranged for her husband to be killed in the frontline of battle. "Contaminated vessel" would be your verdict, no?

Well, I am so glad that God can use contaminated vessels to bring across His incorruptible Word and to fulfill His purposes, which means there is hope for you and I! There are so many more examples: - Abraham was a coward who asked his wife to lie that she was his sister. David was both an adulterer and a murderer. Paul went around persecuting Christians, etc.

Yes indeed, there is hope for you and I. He can use us, as long as we avail ourselves for His purposes. Amen?

Feel Hungry Not Guilty

How many of us, if we miss our quiet time or attending church, feel guilty?  Well, we shouldn't.

The Word of God is similar to spiritual food.  Just like physical food -- breakfast, lunch and dinner -- is meant for physical nourishment and sustenance, so too is spiritual food -- QT, reading the bible, listening to sermons -- meant to feed our Spirit man.  In both cases, a lack of food should make us feel hungry and not guilty.

Ps Prince illustrates this in a snippet entitled "God's Word Our Food", which can be found on his Humourous Bible Illustrations DVD.



Yet, while there are similarities between physical and spiritual food, there is one major fundamental difference, which Jesus Himself points out in Jn 6. The Israelites ate manna in the desert but still ended up dying. But those of us who feed on the Bread of Life will live forever.

The If-Only What-If Dance

Ps Prince has on several occasions mentioned about believers who swing back and forth into the past or future instead of living life in the here and now.  He likens such behaviour to performing what he affectionately terms the "If-Only What-If" Indian dance.

A person is in "If-Only" mode when he reminisces about the past and regrets things that happened,  for example, "if only he had married that other girl", or "if only he had taken that course of action".  He is in "What-if" mode when he starts to worry about the future, for example  "what if the property market crashes, what if the the stocks he bought tanked".  As he swings back and forth and back and forth, it resembles an Indian dance.

What we have to realise is that we cannot change the past, and the future is in God's hands, so we should just live life to the full in the present.

Catch Ps Prince illustrate that dance in this video entitled "If-Only-Itis", which is an excerpt from his Humorous Bible Illustrations DVD.

The Abundant Life Refers to the Here and Now

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Sunday, 2nd September 2007

When I was much younger, I used to equate the eternal life in Jn 3:16 with the abundant life in Jn 10:10.

Christians were supposed to have this attitude that "this world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue". So while we were in our mortal bodies, we were expected to go through much pain and sufferings. After all, temporal hardships were nothing compared to eternal blessings.

Now I understand the context of John 10:10. The devil will not be able to kill, steal and destroy us when we are already in heaven. but while we are still here on earth. It thus follows that the abundant and victorious life is meant to be enjoyed this side of heaven as well!

The devil will try to push God either into the past or into the future, when He should actually be relevant to us right here in the present.

Which brings me to another excerpt of the DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations. This one is entitled "God, Our Very Present Help".

Let's Take Them to Our Leader's Son

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Friday, 2nd February 2007

When I was much younger, I had dreams of being in the music and entertainment industry as a Disc Jockey. Well, so much for dreams. The closest I have gotten (and will probably ever get) is as the MC at my children's birthday parties.

Wishing to be a DJ meant that I would listen intently to the lyrics of songs. One particular song that never fails to bring tears to my eyes is "Take Me to Your Leader" by Newsboys.

In a typical science fiction movie about aliens and outer space, there will be a scene when the flying saucer finally lands on Planet Earth. Invariably, out steps a creature in a spacesuit who points a laser gun thingy at the inhabitants and says, "Take me to your leader".

It was with this concept in mind that Australian Christian band Newsboys, entitled this song. The climax, as it were, comes at the end where we are asked to "take them to our Leader's Son."


The song starts off with a lady who is caught for shoplifting. She is seen by a judge, whose wife had walked out on him, so he takes it out on her by sentencing her to jail.

In jail, she is ministered to by the chaplain. Touched by his care and concern, she wants to know what makes him so different from other people.

The song then goes on to talk about a man who is worried about his health, and resorts to taking vitamin supplements and aroma-therapy. Yet he finds no solution to his anxieties, but notices that his neighbours seem to have a sense of tranquility. One day, out of curiosity, he decides to ask his neighbour's son what his secret is.

The song ends by pointing us to what is special about the chaplain and the neighbour, and the answer is none other than our "Leader's Son", Jesus Christ!

When I hear this song, it reminds me that we are to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) and ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) for Jesus Christ. There must be an "attractiveness" about us. While others fret and worry about their career or children's education, we display a sense of peace and serenity. While others take revenge on those who have wronged them (like Pastor KL mentioned in his sermon about avenging or "bao chou" being ingrained in Oriental cultures), we choose to forgive and extend unconditional love. This will cause our pre-believing friends and relatives to wonder why we are so different, and these then become great opportunities for us to point them to Christ.

So let's take 'em to our Leader's Son! Amen?



Isabelle is a belly dancer with a kleptomaniac's restraint
tried stealing Helena's hand basket, made a fast getaway, but McQueen she ain't
at the courtroom Joshua judges her ruthlessly on account of Ruth walking out on him
in the Big House Isabelle is a-telling all to the chaplain who's become her friend

she says: I don't know why you care I don't know what's out there
I don't know where or how just take me to your leader now take me to your leader now

Justin is adjustin' to the odor from Theodore's Evergreen Incense
but aroma therapy don't make him any younger than Oliver's All Liver Supplements
his late mate Merrilee merrily said immortality can't be bought in a jar
this just in: Justin's had enough of cure-alls,
gonna quiz the neighbor kid with the fish on his car

he says: I don't know why you care I don't know what's out there
I don't know how it's done just take me to your leader, son
I see you've got the joy I've seen you live it, boy
It's real, it's free, it's fun, so take me to your leader, son

They don't know why we care They don't know what's out there
They don't know how it's done Let's Take `Em To Our Leader's Son
They see we've got the joy They see us live it, oi
it's real, it's free, it's fun, Let's Take `Em To Our Leader's Son

The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Saturday, 10th November 2007

Yesterday, I blogged about my visit to SKS Books Warehouse.

I saw a book of children's devotionals called "Faith Factor" (a spoof of "Fear Factor").

But what caught my eye was this book by John R. Cross entitled The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus (hence the title of today's post).

I was planning to get a book for a friend who is somewhat of an intellectual currently searching for answers to the meaning of life.

I turned to the backcover of the book, and this was what was written on it:


The synopsis intrigued me so much that I decided to buy 2 copies -- one for him, and the other for myself as well :-)

Anyway, the book has been made available by the publisher as a free download upon registration, which you can also obtain at the following link:


http://www.box.net/shared/3i4s0nopke

It's been called the most misunderstood book in history.

Wars have been fought in its name, scandals have been precipitated by it, politics shaped and reshaped at its word. Theologians have both defended and reviled it. Skeptics have done the same. If you are a typical member of the human race, you have often been perplexed by all the fuss surrounding the Bible. The question remains, What does it really say?

Here is a book that explains the greatest of Bible themes clearly and logically. Rather than focusing on one part and missing the whole the author chronologically binds together the entire text into one great universal drama, looking at events from the perspective of those who experienced history in the making. The results are sometimes comical, sometimes frightening but always true to the intent of the text.

When you are done reading it, you may find yourself believing the Book like you never have before. Or you may decide not to. The author's objective approach leaves that decision up to you.

Keeping in Step

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Thursday, 6th September 2007

How many of you have seen the familiar scene where a person is teaching another person to dance, and because the other person does not keep in step, the first person gets his foot stepped on.

In the same way, we also need to keep in step with the LORD, and not to go ahead of Him, or fall behind.

One of my cluster leader's favourite verse at the moment is Psalm 32:8, where the LORD says ......

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

The very next verse tells us how to we can be guided with His eye...

9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

In order to be able to be guided by His eye, we need to keep in step with Him. We are only "eye to eye" if we keep pace with the LORD. We should not run ahead of him like the horse, or fall behind like the mule.

I tend to be like the horse, always eagerly wanting to get things done. And as a result, end up stepping on people's toes...

... or end up outside the will of God.

Which brings me to another excerpt of the DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations.  This one is entitled "The Unforced Rhythm of Grace".

Our Beautiful Lord Jesus

This post was first published on ROOTS on Wednesday, 12th September 2007

One question that was constantly at the back of my mind while growing up as a Christian was what Jesus was like before He began His ministry at the age of 30.

The 4 gospels bring out the 4 "faces" of Jesus (Eze 1:10, Rev 4:7)
- Matthew portrays Him as the King of the Jews
- Mark portrays Him as the suffering servant
- Luke portrays Him as the Son of Man
- John portrays Him as the Son of God

Because of the difference in emphasis, the gospel of Matthew only mentions Jesus' until the age of 2 and then fast forwards to the age of 30, while the gospels of Mark and John do not even mention His virgin birth at all.

Only the gospel of Luke mentions about His growing-up years, since the emphasis is of Jesus as the Son of Man.

In particular, Luke 2:40-52 offers a glimpse into the life of Jesus before He began His ministry.

Yes, Jesus was fully God. Yet He was fully man as well. As God, He was there in the very beginning as the Creator of the universe. As man, He had to empty Himself and become a vulnerable little baby. He had to go through what you and I as humans have go through, so that He could be our representative and kinsman-redeemer. The only difference was that He knew no sin.

Which brings me to another excerpt of the DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations. This one is entitled "Our Beautiful Lord Jesus".

The Holidays of God

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 27th February 2008

Last Sunday, as part of the sermon series on the Nicene Creed, Ps Reuben preached a sermon entitled "We Believe in the Coming of God's Realm and Reign to the World", which refers to eschatology or the end-times. The text for his sermon was Lev 23.  You can download the sermon at the following link:

http://www.box.net/shared/tn18ourmx0

I was extremely impressed because Ps Reuben is a relatively-young pastor and Leviticus is not an easy book to preach from. This was also the first time I had heard a Methodist pastor preach on the 7 Jewish feasts of the Lord, namely Passover, Unleaven Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles.

I found his sermon to be very edifying and ministering because he was rightly dividing the Word -- by explaining how these 7 feasts are types and foreshadows that find fulfillment in the New Testament. In his sermon, he referred to 1 Cor 5:7 where Paul says that Christ is our Passover Lamb.

He also referred to 1 Cor 15:20 where Paul says that Christ by His resurrection, is the firstfruit of all who had died. Sure, Jairus' daughter and Lazarus were raised from the dead, but it was only prolonging their life on earth; they eventually died again. Jesus was the first one who was resurrected from the dead, never to see death again! And we who are Christians will follow suit to inherit eternal life.

So where does eschatology fit into this, one may ask? While the 1st 4 feasts have already been fulfilled by Jesus' first coming, the last 3 feasts will be fulfilled in the end-times by His second coming.

I had been meaning to blog about these 7 feasts in a future post, but since it has been preached upon, it would be more meaningful to listen to that sermon. This (as well as other anointed sermons of his) have been compiled here.

Yesterday, it so happened that my dad showed me a booklet by RBC Ministries entitled "The Holidays of God", which also talks about these 7 "holy" days. These booklets in PDF format can be read online at the following links:

The Holidays of God - The Spring Feasts
The Holidays of God - The Fall Feasts

Thank you Lord for sending Ps Reuben to PLMC! May You continue to bless and prosper his ministry here.

Meditation is Like Chewing the Cud

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 20th June 2007

Yesterday, I blogged about the key to the prosperous and successful life is constant meditation on God's Word.

Today, I will elaborate a little more about this.

God has created animals in such a way that man can draw lessons from them.

Take for example the ant. In Prov 6:6, the lazy man is asked to look to it and learn from its industrious nature.

Another example is the deer. In Ps 42:1, the Psalmist drew inspiration from the way it panted for the water, and likened it to his own soul's longing for the Living God.

Likewise, we can learn how to constantly meditate upon God's Word from the way a cow eats grass.

God has created cows with 4-chambered stomachs. The grass that the cow ingests goes into the 1st chamber when first swallowed, is regurgitated back out into its mouth and it chews on it again. It then goes into the 2nd chamber and the process is repeated.

In other words, the same bits of grass is chewed upon by the cow throughout the day!


Similar for us with God's Word. A single verse like "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" can be meditated upon throughout the day during those "idle" times waiting for the bus, train, etc.

The first time around we meditate on the verse, God may cause the word "is" to jump out. The Lord IS my shepherd, not WAS or WILL BE. That means He is there for me right here and now.
The next time we meditate on this verse, perhaps the word "shepherd" will stand out. The picture of a shepherd depicts protection from harm and evil.

Yet the next time, the words "not want" is being emphasised. Here we get comfort that all our needs are met.

Because God's Word is living and active (Heb 4:12) and is like a diamond with many facets, different aspects of the same verse can and will speak to us, depending on our circumstances.

Let's look to the cow and meditate on God's Word, the way it chews its cud!

Let Go and Let God

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 25th July 2007

When I was in the army doing my National Service, one of the terms that was commonly used was SBC or "simply bo chap". (SBC was the acronym for Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, what is now known as MediaCorp).

"bo chap" is Hokkien for "don't care" or "can't be bothered" and is used to describe a soldier who could not care less about things happening around him.

But the irony is that this is the way a Christian is supposed to live -- carefree and without worries. The Scripture says "do not be anxious about anything" and "cast all your cares upon Him".

Yes, everything in our life may not be appear to be smooth sailing. The boss may be on our backs. There are dozens of deadlines to be met. Our kids are struggling with their studies. Yet, the way we are to respond is not like the world responds, because they do not have Christ. We as believers have to learn to let go and let God.

I would like to share the following except of a DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations.  This one is entitled "Letting Go", and unveils the secret to overcoming all our fears, worries anxieties, cares, concerns, bitterness and resentments.



So let us learn to let go, and let God. Amen?

Mysterious Ways or Higher Ways?

This post was first published on ROOTSS on Wednesday, 1st August 2007

How many of you have heard of the saying, "The Lord works in mysterious ways".  Well, you will not be able to find it in the Bible; it is from a hymn by William Cowper entitled, "God Moves in Mysterious Ways".

What's wrong with this quotation, you may ask? Well, if we believe in a God that works in mysterious ways, then we tend to think that He has "something bad up his sleeve" and have to be constantly on our guard at all times, never knowing what God will do next. It is like we are living in a novel by John Grisham, with many twists and turns.

Is it any wonder then that some people have the notion of a god that sets traps for humans, and when they fall into it, claps his hands and laughs with delight.

Consider the following words of a song made popular in 1980 by Swedish group ABBA called "The Winner Takes It All"

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear

But doesn't the Bible says that "God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours?" Doesn't this imply that God is "mysterious"?


Let us look at the context of these verses in Isaiah 55:8-12

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

When you read the entire passage, does it encourage you or discourage you?

The thoughts and ways of natural men are evil. But God's thoughts and ways are above that.

What are some of the thoughts and ways of men? When someone harms us, we think of a way of getting even.

Some of us may even have "lower" thoughts and ways, like scheming on how to destroy that person completely.

What are higher thoughts and ways then? To forgive and think of practical ways of showing love.
And that is exactly what is meant by the thoughts and ways of our Lord God being higher than ours. Already back then in the Garden of Eden, He already had a plan to redeem mankind.

I would like to share the another excerpt of a DVD compilation called Humorous Bible Illustrations.  This one is entitled "God's Mysterious Ways?"



The Lord's ways are definitely 'higher' than ours, but they are certainly not 'mysterious'. Amen?