Work In Progress

26 03 2009

With their non-well wishers mocking them that “Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall”, that didn’t put them off one bit, as Nehemiah goes on to record (4:6) “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.” I love that phrase, ‘so built we the wall … for the people had a mind to work’.

The task of rebuilding the wall could not have been done by Nehemiah alone, they had to do it together in a collective organized effort. Also, it was the mindset that had to be right, wanting to get busy with working and they were single minded in that. And so we see progress being made, as Nehemiah’s return had galvanised the people to come together to repair and rebuild the damaged walls and gates surrounding Jerusalem. There’s nothing better than sound leadership leading the charge.

Chapter 3 recalls how each group of Israelites busied themselves with their own section of the wall in the rebuilding process. A phrase that repeats itself over and over again is ” (3:2) And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur … (3:4) And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah … And next unto them repaired Meshullam…And next unto them repaired Zadok”. This was shoulder to shoulder, side by side, as they unitedly worked and persevered together. That ought to be how it’s done in the work of the Lord, as believers know what they have to do individually and just get down to it.

Unfortunately, in the midst of the narrative we read ” … (3:5) And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.” It is a disheartening read, that the Tekoite non-nobles were nobler than their nobles who stood by the side and did not take their place beside the rest. They were resting. Although it say they had the same Lord (it says “their Lord”) but their desire was not the same. Is it possible that the reason why they didn’t contribute was because they were too high to perform lowly tasks or was it because they thought it was a pointless task to even try to rebuild? Whatever it is,  surely, this ought to be a reminder to us that service requires humility and drive. In this account, the groups who worked and repaired their sections had their names recorded, while they were ironically merely mentioned as ‘nobles’ (the Tekoite nobles). When we don’t give ourselves to the work, we certainly can miss out on some of the greater blessings and blessedness of being a part of those who accomplish God’s purposes here.

Now, we ought not to be discouraged even if we see ‘nobles’, or in our case perhaps … leaders, believers who are of higher standing in society, people who ought to be taking the lead, sitting idly. Because right in the next verse the work springs back into action as we read “(3:5) Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah… And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite …  (3:8)  Next unto him repaired Uzziel … and they fortified Jerusalem …” It was still all systems go as the rest continued to put their hands and backs to do the work of their Lord. The same should be for us today.

Brethren, we’ve got different sections and parts to play in the work of the Lord. Wherever you and I are placed in the body of Christ, seen or unseen, and despite and in spite of many things that may serve to deter or distract … may we be exhorted to have the mind to work as we take our place side by side next to each other. There’s work to be done. May God grant us the strength and the grace to go about doing it.

Are there walls in need of repair? Most assuredly. But first remember … we can’t rebuild it alone.


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Categories : Meditations, Service, Spiritual

At Joppa

6 08 2008
Old Ship

Jonah 1:1-3 reads:

1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

Reluctant. That’s what comes to our minds when we think of Jonah, the unwilling prophet of God. Being told explicitly by God to arise, go to Ninevah and cry against it, warning them of the judgment to come, we see the prophet Jonah having a choice to make. To obey or disobey. Now, there were things about the whole exercise that must have made Jonah cringe at the very thought of it. Firstly, Nineveh was the capital of the mighty Assyria empire, a pagan Gentile nation. Of all people to be sent to … why these people? Did they deserve God’s grace after all the wickedness they were known for? This things must have certainly crossed the prophet’s mind.

It is not recorded for us if Jonah deliberated with God regarding the matter as how other prophets did when they sought to come to terms with God’s call. We’ll avoid going into that as it would be at best speculative. However it clearly tells us the outcome of the matter in Jonah’s mind. Jonah obeyed the first command to ‘arise’, for he arose … but that was where the obedience stopped. He decided to chart his own course and head to Tarshish. What about Ninevah and the instruction from God? He chose not to care. Jonah fled and ran from the presence of the Lord. Amazing. Surely he must have known the words of King David in the Psalms when he said “.. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?” (Psalm 139:7) Can a man run away from God, much less a prophet? Jonah somehow seemed to think so, so he paid his good money to get on a boat and run.

There’s just so much to consider regarding the whole account of Jonah’s story. But as i was thinking about the prophet Jonah, I then realized that the very same principles laid out in the story are required of us. Jonah was instructed to go to the gentiles and preach against it warning of the judgment to come. So have we. Our Lord told his disciples that they were to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mar 16:15) and that “.. ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ). He has given us the ministry of reconciliation as we as ambassadors plead with men ” .. be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:20). We too have been called to arise and go.

How are we to respond to what God has called and instructed us to? For that we can consider examples of 2 men whom God asked to ‘go’. One in the OT the other in the NT. Consider the following …

Isaiah 6:8-9 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (9)  And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not...”

Act 9:10-11 “And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. (11) And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth…”

Both had rather unenviable tasks, difficult ones too i must add. One entrusted with a very heavy message to bring to his people; the other to be sent to see Saul, a dangerous man who at that time was “... yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord …” (Acts 9:1). But we see in both the mighty prophet Isaiah and the simple disciple Ananias a similar response, “Here am I”. That’s a word of presentation. In other words, they availed and submitted themselves for God’s use. This is the response of the willing servant of God who while knowing that the task ahead may be daunting, but with God’s presence, they have no fear of giving themselves unreservedly for their master’s use.

So getting back to Jonah, I don’t know how it feels like to be in the belly of a fish for 3 days, but I certainly don’t think he came out smelling fresh like a bunch of roses. At the end of the day, God was intent on getting the message across to the people of Nineveh and there was an outpouring of grace upon those who took heed to the message. Will God have to use some drastic means to discipline us before we submit to His gracious will? Sometimes, just as this example shows. Jonah had to learn the hard way but we don’t have to if we learn from the mistakes of others.

Joppa, the chief seaport city of Judea represented a pivotal intersection in the life of the prophet Jonah. It’s interesting how in the NT, Joppa too was a pivotal point for the apostle Peter and the progress of the gospel. It was the same place where the apostle Peter received the heavenly vision of the great sheet where he was asked to “..Arise; Peter, slay and eat” (Acts 11:8 ). He too was reluctant (3 times in fact) and gave his excuses but we see Peter finally understanding the vision and realizing later that the door of salvation had been opened to the Gentiles. But it was a place where Peter was finally obedient when he submitted to God and submitted by saying “… what was I, that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11:17). We see Peter’s attitude in comparison with Jonah who thought otherwise.

Practically, are any of us at a spiritual Joppa where we need to chart our next step and wrestling with the issue of obedience to the Lord? Are we getting a ticket for a ship that heads in God’s direction or another way, our way? These are just some thoughts that came to my mind recently. And so, the question we ought to ask ourselves is, are we ‘willing’ or ‘reluctant’ people?

The life of obedience may at times be fraught with difficulty, but it is the path of blessing and joy in the Lord. My brethren, let us take heed and not go the way of Jonah… less we too become a pitiful picture lesson.


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Categories : Life, Meditations, Service, Spiritual

The Servant of God

29 07 2008

1Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

1Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Philippians 2:13-16 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (14)  Do all things without murmurings and disputings: (15)  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; (16)  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

As I meditated on these few verses, I was once again reminded of what it means to be a servant of the Lord. The servant of Lord has been saved by grace and realizes he is nothing apart from the grace that was bestowed to Him by His gracious God. His life is typified by a work of grace at work in Him. Knowing this, he is then one who joyfully busies himself in his Lord’s business. He looks to no other surer return for his service other than that which His master would duly reward in due time. Now, his master is not some disattached monarch who sits back and watches the hired hands do the work while he lays back on an easy chair. Certainly never, this is a gracious master who Himself works (John 5:17) and supplies His servants with the full furnishing of strength for the task. And the servant is empowered by his Lord to do so, and recognizes that apart from supernatural in working power, every desire and attempt to accomplish anything worthy will surely fail.

Oh, but there are realities a servant will have to face and endure. Stern tests amidst the labour as there are the times (often times) that the work proves laboriously difficult when circumstances, conflicts and cares arise. And in those times, the servant must endure and persevere. There will also come the points where the loving Master chastens and disciplines the servant to make right that which is not, and it seems grievous and hard at that time. However, after peaceable fruit of righteousness is yielded forth, the servant is to “lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees” (Heb 12:12). He picks himself up and picks up the pace once again. He learns and moves on. Another distinguishing mark of the servant of God is that of utter and total submission whereby it is marked without a complaint. No murmurs, no tantrums, no whisperings. Certainly easier said than done, but it is an attitude whose will is in submission to His Lord.

The servant’s greatest joy at the end of a hard day’s labour is to see the warm approving smile of his master. It is the master who keeps record and duly reward, therefore he need not be concerned of tally or score. Only that he shun being the unprofitable servant, and instead shine as the servant who will one day rejoice in his labours on that glorious day of rejoicing (Phil 2:16) so much so that he can joyfully testify that he neither ran nor laboured in vain. This is the life work of one whose commitment is to serve, one who presents his body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is his reasonable service (Rom 12:1). We are reminded that it says … ‘living’ sacrifice not a ‘dead’ one. Therefore, the time is now if it’s time to serve.

Oh my dear fellow servants of our almighty God, it will be said of us … that His grace was not in vain, that we laboured not in vain, and that our hope was not in vain. I pray this encourages our hearts to be steadfast to God, “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” Ephesians 6:6 . We follow the example of the perfect servant of God our Lord Jesus who uttered “Not my will but thine be done”. The servant has willingly relinquished his will and is given to the will of the one he owns as Lord.

Just over the weekend, i was chatting with my dear old and aging elder Mr Kong Lam. He is still vibrantly serving the Lord in his very old age and has never looked more committed. In his frail voice I believe it went something like this “Nevermind … nevermind all that … we serve the Lord.” It made me realise once again … that the servant of God never stops serving.


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Categories : Meditations, Service, Spiritual

Baskets Full

25 06 2008

John 6:9 “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?”

These were the words of Andrew, the disciple as an indication of the utter incredulity of the situation. Before them were a ‘great company’ of people of which (just numbering the men) amounted to 5000, and Jesus just said to them “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”. Philips had quipped “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little”. In short, they were seemingly short of money, short of resources … short of ideas.

Here was a little boy who had 7 items. 5 barley loaves, of which barley was known to be the poor man’s bread. 2 small fishes, though we can’t be quite certain how small, but it has been said that it was probably the small kind that you’d salt and pickle.  Thus, if they were pooling resources to feed the multitude, there was one thing you could have put down this little boy’s possible contribution to the pool as … absolutely insignificant.

Still we read that after Jesus had everyone comfortably seated on the grass on the mountain ranges …

John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
John 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
John 6:13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

There were just some things that really stood out for me in this account. It is that when we present whatever little or seemingly insignificant contribution to the Lord, the Lord can use it for His glory and bless us and others in unimaginable degrees. Not only was the little boy filled, but so were many many others. The multiplication factor is confounding, because it ended up with 12 baskets full. John reminds us that the origins were from the 5 loaves. We can only imagine the delight in the boy’s eyes as he saw the miracle performed before him, seeing that Jesus could do so much with so little at His disposal. All that was required was a childlike willingness to give what he had to the Lord. Another wonderful thing we see from the lad was that when he gave it to the Lord, he gave all. And when we give to the Lord, He will see to it that nothing goes to waste.

We’ve got to admit that at times when we give to the Lord sometimes it may seem to us as a sacrifice. But it really should be rightly viewed as an act of sowing. In the NT Paul lays down the principle below.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

The principle is that if we’re stingy on the seeds, the reaping process will reflect the sowing. If we sow bountifully, the reaping will certainly be joyous time. When we’ve done our part sowing, God provides the rain & sunshine for it to grow. Just as in the case of sowing, it may take some time before you see the results but this is a most assuredly a promise that the Lord gives to us. But the blessing will certainly come if we’re investing right, in the things of the Lord. And how God loves to see His people give from their hearts with the right attitude. I like the word ‘cheerful’ as it’s tells us that it’s got to be done with a happy disposition just as the Lord enables and we purpose in our hearts. Take away the ‘cheerful’ from that, and it counts for little in God’s eyes.

In the OT we have a few more thoughts on giving to the Lord.

Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Personally, this is a challenge to all of us. We know God will certainly provide for His people. But can we trust God enough that we’d put our money where our mouth is? How is our tithing and do we give Him the firstfruits of all our increase? Can we trust that if we give liberally and from the heart to the Lord that we will not be left in want but we’ll have to be ready for a greater blessings from the Lord to follow? I believe there is no doubt about it. Our God will supply our every need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:9).

Let us give ourselves to the Lord wholly and holy for His use and then, He can and will most certainly use us if we give of ourselves unreservedly to Him. I don’t think God stands to gain much from this, He is the great Creator who already has everything at His own disposal and His storehouses are never empty. It’s really to our gain when we give and receive the fruit of our joyful obedience.

I think a little lad taught me something today.


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Categories : Giving, Service, Spiritual


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