[8] Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, [9] yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—[10] I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Philemon 8-10 ESV)   The Christian faith is unique in that it is an unusual union of authority and love. Here the apostle Paul does not invoke his apostolic authority to urge his brother Philemon to deal kindly with his now converted runaway slave, but instead for love’s sake appeals to him!   Certainly our hearts are moved when we see an earnest appeal from love, but our hearts are absolutely staggered when the individual making the plea has absolutely no need to do so. Paul was an apostle. He had seen the risen Lord Jesus Christ.  He had been taken up into the heavenlies and heard things that man may not utter (2 Cor 12:4). He wrote half the New Testament. And yet here, he makes no mention whatsoever of his credentials! In fact, this is one of only three letters where Paul says nothing about being an apostle. Instead, he refers to himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus and an old man.  What a fitting lesson in leadership this is for us! Though we may have every right to make demands, for love’s sake we are to choose the road of humility, making ourselves nothing, and appeal to love instead! And is this not a perfect picture of the heart of our Lord Jesus? Though He was rich, He made Himself poor so that by His poverty we could become rich. Though He could have demanded that His followers serve Him, the Son of Man came in humility to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Though He could have condemned all of us sinners to hell, He chose to instead to absorb the torment of hell in His body until He had drained the cup of God’s wrath down to its dregs. We must never forget, that it was not nails, but love that secured God’s anointed to that cross.  Christian, is your heart moved by the omnipotent God who came as a servant and not as a soldier? Are you amazed that the infinite God should become finite to save you from your sins? Does this magnificent love humble your heart and drive you to treasure Him above all the fleeting treasures of Egypt in this world?  The uniqueness of Christian leadership is not that it is grounded in authority, but that it is grounded in love. And there is no greater image of love that is patient and kind than the one we see in the living picture of our servant King who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just good news of an omnipotent God who pardons and reigns, but of a God who loves and lays down his rights.   Written by: Samuel Chua

"Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young? (Job 39:1-3 ESV)  The immensity of the difference between us and God cannot be adequately portrayed with words. The chasm of wisdom that separates a full-grown man from a little boy may be large, yet it is nothing compared to the Grand Canyon that separates our wisdom from God’s. Even if one were to live for a thousand years and spend half of this time pursuing one hundred PhD degrees from the world’s greatest universities, this would still not compare to the wisdom of God. But even if we could spend an eternity learning from God’s infinite wisdom, we would still fall short of competing with Him, for we will never be able to replicate His omniscience.  When we read these verses in Job, we should not think that the Almighty is clueless as to the breeding habits of mountain goats. God’s questions in the Bible are never a probe for information, but calculated verbal thrusts designed to provoke us to think. And whether this is “Where are you, Adam?” or “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?” the questioning of the Creator serves to stop the mouths of His creatures who are often too quick to speak, grumble, and complain.   How matchless is the depth of God’s wisdom and insight! In a few short sentences, He throws down the gauntlet and dares every human being alive to measure up to His unrivaled and meticulous scrutiny of this world. Who knows where the mountain goat gives birth in the crags of the rocks? Who knows which trimester the doe is in as she carries her young fawn? Who knows when the moment of delivery arrives for a heavily pregnant four-legged mammal hidden in the depths of the forest? Though you and I have no idea whatsoever—nor would we even care—God knows. Such a detail which is seemingly insignificant and wholly unknown to us, is not insignificant to God, nor is it unknown to Him. Not a sparrow of the field will fall to the ground apart our Father (Matt 10:29), and neither does anything, no matter how seemingly unimportant, happen to us apart from the hand of our God.   Christian, do you realize that the God you serve is fully aware of the timing of the birthing activities of the animals of this world? Do you think about the fact that He observes each one while simultaneously observing your life? Does God’s answer to this man who has lost his entire family, fortune and health stun you?  The greatest response that God can give to our heart-wrenching trials is NOT to tell us WHY we are suffering, but to remind us of WHO He is! The reason we complain is not because our trials are too difficult but because we have forgotten the One who gave them to us. God does not lead His people into the wilderness to destroy them, but to test and strengthen them.  Do you know when the mountain goat gives birth, Christian? Then, lay your hand across your mouth and say, “I am of small account (Job 40:4). I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, therefore I repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:3-6).” And when you have repented of your Israelite grumbling, humble yourself before the Lord and put your trust in Him. And at the proper time, He will comfort you with His very own presence and exalt you.  Written by: Samuel Chua

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2 ESV)   When the LORD God appeared to Moses, he came in a flame of fire. Fire is a fitting image for our almighty God whose immense power can consume entire armies, reduce city walls to rubble, and black out the noonday light of the sun. Yet, though our God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:29), he is a fire that burns eternally without consuming its fuel source. God’s power appears in the bush, yet was not dependent on the bush at all! In fact, the God who is independent of the bush is the one who preserves the bush by the word of his power.  What a marvelous picture this is of our God who is without comparison in this world! He is completely free to exercise his power, yet he is never limited in his power. He is the God who gives life and breath to every living thing, yet he is not served by human hands as though he needed anything (Acts 17:25). God’s holy presence should have consumed the sinful children of Israel, yet instead he chose to tabernacle with them in the wilderness and sustained them for forty years.   What an encouragement this is for us as believer! The great “I AM” is the self-existent one who depends on nothing for his own sustenance! And because his own resources are unlimited, only he can be trusted to perfectly supply the needs of poor, finite creatures like us—creatures who cannot look to ourselves for help, but only to our Creator. How comforting it is, Christian, to know that though the God we serve is a consuming fire, he does not consume us! The Holy Spirit who burns within us does not depend on us for fuel, but rather fuels us in the midst of our darkest trials!   Christian are you awed by the fact that your God needs nothing from you and yet freely offers to you everything that you need? Do you realize that the heavenly storehouses will always be full of grace, mercy, and material provisions because their source is an infinite God? Never fear that any cheques that we attempt to deposit through prayer at God’s heavenly bank will bounce, for our accounts with him have no limit whatsoever. In our hour of greatest need, let us boldly come before the throne of grace, dressed in the righteousness of Christ, and ask according to his will, expecting to receive!  And as we rise each day, we should marvel at our ordinary reflection in the mirror. Let us marvel at the fact that though the fire of the almighty God lives inside of us, our flesh is not consumed. Let us give praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose blood alone can cover the heavenly mercy seat. And let us bow before our God who did not chose to scourge us with his presence, but to save us with his Son.   Written by: Samuel Chua

David said to Solomon, "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. 8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.' (1 Chronicles 22:7-10 ESV)   The second king of Israel has the distinction of being the only king to have been called a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14). Though he was but a shepherd boy, the Lord took him from tending sheep to tend the flock of Israel. Here the inspired writer of the Chronicles records that David had been told by God that he could not build the temple of the LORD, because he was a man of war whose reign was characterized by much bloodshed. It is highly unlikely that the writer here is reprimanding David for sinning against God, as God not only sanctioned his wars, but gave him victory wherever he went (1 Chr. 18:6, 13), placing his enemies under the soles of his feet (1 Kings 5:3). David’s prohibition on building the temple was not the result of sin, but the result of God’s will and particular purpose for his life.   The temple was to be the peaceful meeting place between God and man. Only there, with the shedding of blood, could a holy God and a sinful man meet without wrath and judgment. The Deuteronomic law stipulated that peace from enemies was a prerequisite for building the temple (Deut 12:10-11). Therefore, it took the life’s work of one man to pave the way for the foundation of God’s temple. The young Solomon did nothing to earn the peace that allowed him to build the temple. It was a gift to him from both his father and his heavenly Father. And he fulfilled his purpose as a man of peace, by building a temple of peace to give the world a glimpse of unimaginable human flourishing under God’s shalom .   The lives of God’s faithful have always been used for a specific purpose. There are those who have lived their entire lives under persecution while others have only known freedom to practice their faith. Some have been given lives of joy in poverty, while others have been given the gift of generosity with the ample wealth that God has blessed them with. Some have been like Daniel’s friends who were untouched by the flames of the fiery furnace, whereas others burned brilliantly at the stake for the glory of God. Some spend their entire lives sowing Gospel seeds, whereas others spend their entire lives enjoying the bountiful harvest of the spiritual labours of others (John 4:36-38).   Dear Christian brothers and sisters, are you content to live the life that the Lord has assigned to you? Do you look at another believer’s life and envy them, wishing that the giftings or prosperity that were given to them by their Master were yours? Are you disappointed that God has not given you what you have asked for as you have tirelessly waged war for the Lord? Are you conscious of the fact that it is before your own Master that you stand or fall?   Oh, let us love our Master’s will and prize it above any comfort or excitement that belongs to the life of another of God’s servants! David fulfilled the purpose of God in his own generation, and then fell asleep (Acts 13:36). May God makes us a people who are zealous to expend our lives in fighting the Lord’s wars or reaping the harvest—whatever our Master has laid out for us. Let us be steadfast and immovable as we work for our Lord, knowing that one day we will all enter the ultimate peace of God because of what Jesus has done for us on Calvary’s cross.  Written by: Samuel Chua

[30] But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” [31] Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” [32] So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. [33] And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” (Numbers 13:30-33 ESV)   The call of God’s faithful has always been to live by faith and not by sight. Here, the people of God found themselves on the verge of entering the Promised Land, but upon hearing the report of the spies, they became miserable and accused the LORD of bringing them into this land only to devour them. Although they had seen God deliver them by parting the Red Sea and miraculously provide them with quail and manna to eat from heaven after leaving Egypt, they nevertheless did not trust him.  It is often said in Christian circles, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” Although this statement is often offered as a comfort to Christians who are struggling with despair at their circumstances, the truth of the matter is that God DOES give us more than we can handle. In the midst of temptation, we are able to endure because it is God who provides the way of escape (1 Cor 10:13). When we are under attack by the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, it is God’s grace that is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9).  The reason that God has designed us to be fragile jars of clay is to emphasize to the watching world his surpassing power—not ours. What is most important about the man of God, is not that he is a MAN of God, but rather that he is a man of GOD! The people of Israel were not wrong in their assertions that the people of Canaan were stronger than them, or that they had chariots of iron, or that they were descendants of the mighty Nephilim. What they were wrong about was their inability to succeed in obeying the commandments of God to conquer them with divine power. They determined right and wrong based on the thoughts of MAN and not the thoughts of GOD. And so long as our wisdom is derived from the eyes of unbelief and not the eyes of faith, we will never be able to walk the Way of Christ or conquer the Jerichos that the Lord sets before us.  Christian, do you look at the commandments of God and make excuses for why they cannot be obeyed? Do you shrink back in fear from the hard things that he has repeatedly pressed on your heart to do? Are you overcome with despair and feel grasshopper-ish when you look at the immensity of the work that God has given you to do?  Loving our enemies is impossible if we do not know the God who loved his enemies and sent his Son to die for them. Forgiving those who have wronged us is impossible without knowing the forgiveness that Christ has extended to those who have offended him. God arranges circumstances to make us feel  like grasshoppers so that we are not deluded into believing that we are giants. When we forget that we are dependent creatures, we run the risk of believing ourselves to be independent kings.   What a joy it is to be humble, dependent creatures! There is no shame in being grasshoppers who are utterly incapable of anything, except that which their Master empowers them to do. Learn well then, Christian grasshopper, that true wisdom is not to be gained by looking inward, but by looking upward.  Let us learn to be content as insignificant grasshoppers who are wholly dependent on the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. How much better to glorify God by being a grasshopper whom God exalts, rather than a giant whom God humiliates!  Written by: Samuel Chua

[7] Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: [8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, [9] lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:7-9 ESV)   The world we live in is obsessed with money and has a voracious appetite for wealth that can never be satisfied no matter how much is consumed. Despite the fact that greater wealth only seems to bring with it temporary happiness that fades like autumn leaves, we find it difficult to shake off the notion that more money is the solution to all of life’s problems.   But followers of God are never permitted to crave money in this way. Agur in his divine wisdom teaches that there are two great and equally dangerous errors with regards to money.  The danger of having a lack of money is clearly articulated by the Psalmist who declares that he will be tempted to sin and steal. The implication here is that a lack of money leads to him having inadequate food and out of desperation and hunger, he breaks the eighth commandment and dishonors the name of the very God he professes to serve! Therefore, we should never think that abject poverty is the ideal road for the godly to walk.   The danger of having an abundance of money is no less real, yet it is much harder to see, much like a venomous snake camouflaged under some brush. In an affluent culture like ours, many of us have already been poisoned by the insidious cobra of materialism, yet we are wholly unaware. Few of us ever think that a growing bank account is something that we should worry about because we do not understand the danger of having greater wealth. And if we should doubt just how deadly an abundance of material wealth can be, look at how the Psalmist pleads! So desirous is he that he would be neither overly poor or rich, that he earnestly begs God to grant him this wish before he dies. And the reason that the Psalmist is afraid, is that he fears that at the apex of his wealth, he will say, “Who is the LORD?”   We should not think that the Psalmist’s question, “Who is the LORD?” means that an abundance of money has given him a brain injury an caused him to forget that he believes in the existence of God. Rather, we are to understand that increased wealth has become to the Psalmist like a pair of glasses with enormously thick lenses that have distorted his view of reality. No longer can he see properly that it is God who provides him with his daily food, but he believes himself to be his own provider and thus sins against God. The fact that the Psalmist refers to God here as the “LORD” or Yahweh (his covenant, personal name in Hebrew) rather than just “God,” reinforces the idea that what is forgotten is who this covenant-keeping God is to him. How dangerous riches must be, if they can so cause us to forget that God is the one who truly provides for us all our needs!  Christian, is your prayer for daily bread just a perfunctory nod that you give to God before each meal because it’s the “right thing to do?” Or do you look at your plate and say from the bottom of your heart, “I eat today, because my Lord has given me my daily bread!” Is your health so good that you forget that your very strength is a gift from God himself? Do you take for granted that the life you have is a gift from a God who bought you out of spiritual slavery in Egypt?  The great danger of the Christian life with regards to money is not forgetting that God exists, but forgetting who this God is to us. May our hearts never become so enamored with wealth that we forget this God who is our Savior, Redeemer, Master and Friend. And in our remembrance of him, may we answer the Master’s call to “Follow me!” and store up treasures for ourselves in heaven—not on this earth.  Written by: Samuel Chua

3 “Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” 4 When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. (Exodus 33:3-4, ESV)   The most devastating news for a follower of God to hear is that God will offer you health and wealth, but that his very presence will not be with you. For many in this world, such a statement is not troublesome in the least. For many in this world would love to have God’s gifts, but they care nothing for the presence of God because their chief end is to satisfy their own passions and live for their own glory. They may be religious, possibly even moral people, but their lives are devoted to their own well-being, and therefore, God is nothing more than a tool to be wielded for their own ends.  But the Christian who has grasped the wretchedness of his own indwelling sin, his utter inability to save himself, and also the magnitude of the sacrifice of the only Son of God on the cross for the sins of the world, such a life is detestable, unthinkable and ultimately undesirable. The words, “I will not go up among you” are completely disastrous, for there is no joy to be had without the presence of God. Christianity without Christ is worthless and all the riches in the world cannot compare with that supremely valuable treasure that is hidden in the field.  But, this is something only the redeemed heart can shout! The redeemed heart is not a heart of stone, but a heart of flesh that beats for the joys of Christ. It is the redeemed heart—the heart that has experienced the great love of God that shouts, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD. My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God!” It is the redeemed heart that says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” And if this is the heart’s desire of the true, redeemed, worshipper of God, how could there be happiness in the Promised Land or in the believer’s eternal rest, if God is not there? How could anyone whose desire in life is to “depart and be with Christ” be satisfied with anything less than the very presence of Jesus? To see his hands that sustained our weary bodies during our earthly pilgrimages, to hear the voice that calmed the seas amidst our most severe trials, to see the scars that cover the wounds from which the precious blood of our salvation poured—how could we be satisfied with anything less than Christ himself?   If I cannot have Christ now, then life has no lasting joy. If I cannot gain Christ when this life ends and I enter into glory, then I have more anguish than a widow who has lost her entire family in a tragic accident. If I cannot ever have Christ, then I am dead even as I now live. How supremely valuable and beautiful He is! He is my soul’s food, my bread of life, the manna that came down from heaven. He is the fountain who has quenched my thirst for righteousness and as I drink from him I thirst no more. He is my eternal rest, the shepherd whose very presence leads me beside still waters and lays me down in green pastures. And he is my Lord and King, the one who will crush all my enemies and vindicate my soul. Ah Lord, Jesus, let me never forget that I am but a poor creature in need of daily grace. Guard me from the temptation of finding joy in the fleeting treasures of Egypt or in anything other than you. And whether I am surrounded by your many blessings or assaulted by many troubles, let me never forget that the unshakeable joy of my heart is You. What a joy it is to know that we as believers shall never hear such disastrous words, because we are united with Christ!   Written by: Samuel Chua

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (John 11:1-6 ESV)   No living thing enjoys pain. A person will remove a splinter that is lodged in their hand. Cattle will learn to avoid the sharp barbs of a fence. Pain is unpleasant, therefore, we naturally seek to run away from it or remove it from our lives. But just because pain is unpleasant, it does not mean that all pain is bad. For some of the greatest benefits and rewards cannot be attained without traveling the road that is marked by pain and suffering. A cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy will accept the horrid sensation of burning in their veins because they believe that they might be cured. An athlete will endure chapped lips and frozen limbs as they train in sub-zero temperatures, hoping that their diligent training will result in a gold medal.  The life of a follower of Christ is no different. Though there is joy in walking with our Lord and Master, we are not absolved from carrying our crosses daily. Here we see that Mary and Martha bore the full weight of anguish and sorrow as they attended to their mortally, sick brother. Though they were helpless, they knew the One who wasn’t and earnestly implored their Lord to come quickly to their aid. They had seen Jesus do miracles before, and out of love for their dear brother, they wanted to see him restored. But the apostle John tells us that Jesus loved Mary and Martha, and that his love for them resulted in him staying put and not rushing immediately to their sides!  How paradoxical this seems! The Lord of life who can heal with a word spoken from afar and who can raise the dead to life does not immediately alleviate their pain, but instead allows them to remain in their distress even though he is fully capable of ending their suffering with a word! Although this thought might cause us some discomfort, let us never think that our God is a cruel masochist who delights in our sorrows. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and neither does he bring his children into the desert to destroy them. He is the God who weeps at the grave of Lazarus.  But from this passage, we learn that divine love withheld the miracle of divine healing from Mary and Martha so that they could taste the glory of God through the greater, more awesome miracle of resurrection from death. Jesus’ desire for his beloved children is that they would see and embrace that which is greatest in the world—the glory of God. And because of his great love for us, he will spare no expense to ensure that we are not deprived of seeing the priceless glory of God maximally displayed—even if that means we must walk through the valley of pain. For pain is the needle which God uses to inject our hearts with wonder at his divine glory.  Christian, are you suffering under a heavy burden right now? Do you feel that the Lord has forgotten you in the midst of your trial? Do you despair because your eyes are a fountain of tears and that your daily cries seem to go unanswered?  Take heart, believer, and remember that the Father who gave you new birth through his precious Word not only sees you now, but is working for his glory and the good of those who love him. Divine love, not cruelty, is what withholds relief from your current suffering. Divine love may not always give us what we want, but it will always give us what we need—to the glory of God.  Written by: Samuel Chua

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us." (1 Sam 7:12 ESV)   One of the most terrifying aspects of sin is that it ravages our memories. Though the Lord might part the waters of the Red Sea in our lives in the midst of extraordinary trial, it does not take long for our sinful hearts to forget his goodness when we perceive that we appear to be walking through a desert. Left unchecked, we begin to grumble and long to return to Egypt, forgetting that our previous condition was slavery. Our hearts are truly prone to wander and when we do not walk with the Lord in the power of his Spirit, what began in our hearts as boiling fervor for the Lord will eventually grow cold.   The children of Israel were suffering the consequences of their sins, but at Samuel’s command, they put away their idols and devoted themselves to serve the Lord even as the Philistines drew up their battle lines to destroy them. But when Samuel cried out to the Lord on their behalf, the God of Israel responded immediately with thunder from heaven. He threw the enemy into confusion before Israel and their great army was completely routed and defeated. And Samuel upon their victory, set up a stone of remembrance called Ebenezer, which in Hebrew means “Stone of Help.” It was not the stone that helped them, but it was a reminder that the Lord had helped them. Every time they glanced at this boundary marker, they were to recall the magnificent deed that the Lord had done in fighting for them.  When we Christians are discouraged, we too are called to remember the wondrous deeds of God. Paul urged his young disciple Timothy to “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead” (2 Tim 2:8) even as he exhorted him to suffer as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. The Psalmist, despairing that the Lord’s goodness seemed to have ceased from his life, declared that he would combat his spiritual despondency by remembering the deeds of the Lord and the years of the right hand of the Most High (Ps. 77:10-11). How important the act of remembering is! And whether we set up physical stones for ourselves, or write entries in a diary that we review on a regular basis, or discipline ourselves to read God’s Word regularly so that we do not forget our God, we are called to constantly remember and never forget.   Christian, has your own sin driven you into a place where you face suffering and trial? Or are you discouraged and battered by problems that loom larger than a Philistine army in your life? Are you in need of a divine helper to come and deliver you from this trial that is simply too great for you? Then turn to our Lord and cry out to the God of heaven so that he might fight for you!   Brothers and sisters, we must never underestimate the importance of remembering in our lives. In our times of despair, we must not look inward, but upward. We must look at the Ebenezers that we have set up to mark God’s miraculous works in our lives so that our hearts might be encouraged when we are tempted to forget. We must never make the mistake of thinking that that our own hands have given us our success or that our God is too small to save. The God who has helped us “thus far,” will never change. Our Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And if he has helped us thus far and given his only Son for our sins, we can rest assured that he will never abandon his children in their hour of greatest need. So, in these moments of our greatest trials, let us not charge in with our own strength, but stop and remember the strength of our God who is our help.  Written by: Samuel Chua

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24)   Our Lord and Savior is not a distant deity but an intensely personal God. Though he rules from heaven's throne, he is ever present with us as believers and acts with the greatest amount of care in our individual lives. Jesus has so much affection for those whom the Father has given to him, that even as the hour of the cross approaches, we find him pleading here for those whom he loves. Christ is not indifferent to those whom he saves, nor did he simply stoically bear the cross because of his Father's will. No, he went willingly to the cross not only because it was the Father's will to save wretched sinners, but because it was his own intensely personal desire! His impassioned plea and longing before his Father was that we who remain here on this earth might not die in our sins, but would one day be with him where he is! But why would Jesus long for such a thing? It was certainly not because he lacked good company. In heaven, he would be in rich fellowship with his everlasting Father and the Holy Spirit. The greatest relationships in the world cannot compare with the intimacy that is found in the triune Godhead, the perfect three-in-one relationship. So, if our Lord does not need us to satisfy a relational need, why does he want believers to be with him?   The answer? That they might see his glory. What our Lord passionately desired as he headed for the cross is that we would not just be with him, but that would see with our very own eyes the great glory of the Son of Man. The glory which he had before the foundation of the world was laid! What a blessing and joy that the sight of the glory of God must be for Jesus to so desire this just moments before his death! The Scriptures attest to the greatness of the glory of God, for none can see the glory of the immortal God and live. Moses saw God’s back and his face shone so brightly that he needed to place a veil over his face. Isaiah upon seeing the glory of the God of Israel threw himself onto the ground and cried out that he was a man of unclean lips! At the sight of the glory of God, the angels in heaven shout for joy! And because of the glory of God, the rocks of the earth cry out and the hills clap their hands. How magnificent is the glory of God! How awe-inspiring it is to the soul! And if his glory is this wonderful, why then should we be surprised that our Lord desires for us to be with him?   Christian, are you awed at the thought of seeing the glory of God? Is it your heart’s desire to go and be with Jesus so that you might see his glory? The longing of our good Lord was to treat our souls to a sumptuous feast of his glory. Therefore, there can be no greater good work, than to introduce other people to the glory of Jesus, so that they too may feast their souls on him and live. No amount wealth, good health or anything else under the sun can compare with the nourishment we will receive from one day enjoying the glory of God. Jesus does not desire for us to be with him so that we might meet a defect in his joy. Rather, he desires for us to be with him to satisfy a defect in our  joy. Life is incomplete and ultimately unsatisfying if we are deprived of the glory of God. But thanks be to God, that our Jesus prayed for us, and that one day, we who believe with him, will have the ultimate joy of seeing his glory.  Written by: Samuel Chua

[25] And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, [26] and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. [27] She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. [28] For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”  [29] And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. [30] And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” [31] And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” [32] And he looked around to see who had done it. [33] But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. [34] And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:25-34 ESV)   The grace and power of our Lord Jesus has no parallel in human history. The greatest kings and emperors have commanded armies of great warriors, but only our Lord Jesus can command the indestructible angel armies of heaven as well as the very winds of the air and the waves of the sea. The greatest of friends may sacrifice their lives in battle for their loved ones, but only our Lord Jesus so loved even his enemies that he suffered the wrath of God for their sake. No other life was so marked by amazing grace and divine power as that of Jesus Christ’s. And here in this passage, we see a microcosm of the saving grace and power of our Lord in the life of a poor, helpless woman.  Though we are not told exactly what her illness was, we know that she suffered terribly from it. She suffered physically under the care of physicians whose wisdom and skill were powerless to relieve her of her symptoms. She suffered financially as a result of spending all of her money on seeking a cure. And she must have suffered emotionally as her constant flow of blood would have rendered her ceremonially unclean, making her unable to worship in the temple or even share the chair she sat on with others lest her defilement render them unclean.  And in her complete and utter helplessness, she turned to Jesus. We do not know exactly what she thought of him, but she knew enough about Jesus to know that the divine power of the God of Israel flowed through him. So magnificent was Jesus in her eyes that she knew that if she but touched him and experienced a fraction of the mighty power of God, she would gain healing that no doctor could ever hope to give her. And so in faith, she reached out and touched him.  And in that moment, something marvelous happened! Though she was a woman who contaminated everything she touched, she did not defile him. Instead, the radiant power and purity of God flowed through Jesus and infected her disease with divine healing. How unlike us Jesus is! We cannot pass our good health to someone by touching them, but we certainly are in danger of contracting whatever illness they might have! Yet, a touch of our Lord Jesus does not result in two sick people, but rather two who are whole! And when we think of this desperately ill woman’s life-changing encounter with Jesus, are we not reminded of how we too reached out for Jesus and found healing for our souls?  We were filthy because of our sins and spread our germs of lawless rebellion to all whom we interacted with. But when God opened our hearts to receive his Gospel, we cried out to him for a fragment of his grace with mustard seed-like faith. The precious blood of the Lamb washed over us and instead of defiling us, washed us white as snow.  At that moment, the immovable mount Everest of our sin was drowned in the infinite depths of the grace of God and was swallowed up forever.  Christian, are you grateful that when you were horribly diseased with your incurable sin and cried out for grace, your Lord’s power overwhelmed your disease and healed you forever? Do you think about the fact that after our Lord restored us prodigals, he did not treat us as hired servants? Though we might tremble as this woman did to be a recipient of his grace and power, he addresses us not as servants, but instead slaughters the fattened calf and clothes us in the robes of a royal son or daughter! And if our God would do so great a deed for us, can we trust him with the other troubles of our lives?  Though our problems may confound the knowledge of the wisest doctor, overwhelm the finances of the wealthiest banker, or exhaust the patience of our closest friend, nothing is beyond a mere touch of God’s grace. So reach out to your heavenly Father, and receive his unlimited and matchless grace for you this day. To the one whose great light shone into our darkness, be glory forever and ever. Amen!  Written by: Samuel Chua

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. (Psalm 127:1-2 ESV)   It has been said by some that the beauty of science is that it reveals the mysteries of the universe. The scientist who labours over his microscope to test a new drug against cancer does a great service to society by teaching us about things we cannot see or understand with our eyes alone. But the mysteries that the Word of God reveals, goes far beyond what the greatest scientific advances could ever offer us, for it teaches us what our greatest human instruments can never discover. In this case, the wisdom of God instructs us that the will of God is the ultimate reason behind every one of our successes and failures.   But this does not mean that we are excused from our responsibility to work! Our work matters, but so does the Lord’s work. A house is not built unless an architect draws up plans and a carpenter puts a hammer in one hand and nails in the other. Experience tells us that it is foolish to think that a house can build itself. Yet, this passage is not about our responsibility to work but rather about the attitude  behind our work. The wise person who is informed by the Word of God as to the true nature of things, understands that two things must occur for any project to succeed. One, we must build, and two, the Lord must build with us. There are always two who must work for any project to succeed. And the work of the latter is the most important. God’s invisible hand must steady our hands to hold our tools. God’s invisible hand must withhold the rains and winds, guard us from injury, and keep our minds from error-prone calculations. The men of Babel built a tower to the sky to rival God, but because their work displeased him, he demolished their work by confusing their language.   How many human projects do we know that have been terminated by the will of God through unforeseen circumstances! Whether this was due to an economic crash, a devastating earthquake, or unnoticed human error, work can never succeed unless the Lord is at work! Even the sharpest watchman will fail to protect his city from a stealth attack, unless the caring eyes of God are turned towards the city. We should not eat our meals and pay our bills worrying as if the entirety of our provision rests on us. No, we may sleep in peace, knowing that for those whom the Lord loves, he gives the gift of a peaceful sleep—sleep that is free from worry because we are free from the anxiety of trying to provide for ourselves as if we were God.   How humbling this is! We cannot grow food to eat unless the Lord wills. We cannot spot danger unless the Lord allows us to see it. We cannot build a house or undertake any project, unless the Lord is with us! In him, truly, we live and move and have our being! But as humbling as this is, it is also remarkably consoling to our souls. For we know that if we labour diligently at our Master’s command and our project fails, then it is because his hand has brought it to a halt. We are free to work diligently, and also free to not worry about the results.  Christian, is your life busy and full of projects and tasks that seem endless? Do you find yourself anxious about the results? Do your problems keep you awake at night because deep in your heart, you have been trusting in your own plans and efforts for success? Are you stressed out because despite your best efforts, your health continues to fail? Come now, will you not cast your anxieties on the Lord who cares for you, builds for you and fights for you? Or perhaps, do you find yourself proud of your achievements and fail to give God glory for what he has done in your life? Humble yourself before his mighty hand and give God the glory that he is due!  The blessed soul is not the soul that can only find happiness in success and pleasure, but rather, the soul that possesses unshakeable joy in the knowledge that the hand of God is ultimately responsible for all of life’s successes and failures. Truly we can face plenty, hunger, abundance and need, if only we are certain that we do all things through the one who strengthens us (Phil 4:12-13). And if God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us on the cross, let our worried and anxious hearts find comfort in his love. Truly, all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). So, in all that we do, let us never forget that there are always two who are at work.  Written by: Samuel Chua