Psalm 86:2a - Devotion

Psalm 86:2 says, "Guard my life, for i am devoted to You."

what does it mean to be devoted? it means being fully committed to someone, wholly belonging to him or her. if i say, "i'm devoted to you", it means that you are the focal point of my entire being. my thoughts, words, and deeds are all with you in mind, centred on you.

if we are truly devoted to the Lord, it means all these, with Him as the object of devotion. it also means that we are secure in Him. it is from this position of security and safety that David asks God to "Guard my life". if you are under attack, what you need is soldiers, not guards. if you are in trouble, you need someone to help you or save you, not guard you. you only need a guard when you are already in a secure position.

so this is a reminder to me, not to forget God when things seem to be going well. for if or when we think we are secure, we still need to remain devoted to Him, and we still need Him to guard our lives.

so, let's all go through the rest of this day (or tomorrow, if you're reading this at night) pondering over what it means to be devoted to God, and seeking to grow in our devotion to Him. perhaps we cannot say as confidently or as matter-of-factly as David, "i am devoted to You". but that's ok; we are on a journey, we are works in progress. if we think are just 50% devoted, for example, then let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us move on to be 51% or 52% devoted.

and for those of us who already are devoted to God (or at least, are devoted to Him most of the time!), as we meditate on Psalm 86:2 throughout this day (or tomorrow), let us continue to enthrone Him in our hearts.

may He guard our lives today and every day. Amen! =)

Psalm 86:1 - Humility

hullo! =)

my blog has been dormant for ages... well, this morning for my Quiet Time i was meditating on Psalm 86:1-4, and it is just amazing to me how rich in meaning these 4 short verses are. so i decided to share my thoughts on it here, for the few who may read it.

for today, i will just share my thoughts on the first verse... it says, "Hear, O Lord, and answer me; for i am poor and needy." as i read this first verse of Psalm 86, it seems to me that David's attitude to God here, is an attitude of humility in spiritual poverty.

What does it mean to be humble? it means having a realistic view of oneself. to think too highly of self is pride; we are familiar with this. but to think too lowly of self is also an inverted form of pride. for example, people often think that they are "not good enough" to serve God. at the face of it, this sounds good and humble. but consider the fact that God does consider us good enough to serve Him; in the Bible, we find Him graciously working with less-than-perfect people all the time. see for example, Noah the drunkard; Abraham the liar; Jacob the conman; Moses the murderer; David the adulterer; and the list goes on. with that in mind, when we consider ourselves "not good enough", we are in effect placing ourselves higher than God. by God's standard, we are good enough; but our standard is higher than God's, and we think we are "not good enough". when you look at it that way, it doesn't seem humble anymore, does it? rather, it is a kind of horribly inverted pride.

if we have a realistic view of ourselves, we will realise that we really need God. we are nothing and can do nothing apart from Him (John 15:5). sure, we may be able to make lots of money, build towering skyscrapers, have all kinds of seemingly impressive successes and achievements - but without God, on the scale of Eternity, all that is simply nothing.

this realisation is a realisation of our spiritual poverty. even if i had a gazillion dollars (i wish! =P), i would still need God desperately. when we realise this truth, then we will say together with David, "Hear, O Lord, and answer me; for i am poor and needy."

so, let's all go through the rest of this day (or tomorrow, if you're reading this at night) remembering how much we need God, and seeking Him in humility. we tend to rush through the day, depending on our own strength and wits to get us through the day (or at least, i do!). as we ponder Psalm 86:1 throughout this day (or tomorrow), let us remember God, remain connected to Him in prayer, be aware of His presence with us, and learn to be humbly dependent on Him in all that we do.

Amen! =)

Adam, Eve, and Evolution

the other day one of my church youths asked me a question that stumped me - "if evolution is true, were adam and eve neanderthals, or modern humans like us?"

to be honest, i had no idea how to answer him! =P

then a few days later, i was in my uncle's office. he is clearing it out because he will be retiring soon, and he has all sorts of interesting stuff in there. one of his books caught my eye - "Creation or Evolution: Do we Have to Choose?" by Dr. Denis Alexander. i thought it looked interesting, and wondered how the author would handle that youth's question.

so i flipped through the book to find out what he had to say about it. this is a summary of what i found. he presented 5 possible models of understanding and connecting Genesis and Evolution:

Model A

• there is no connection at all between Genesis and Evolution.
• Genesis is a theological account, a story or a parable which teaches us about the role and importance of humanity in God's purposes; whereas Evolution is a scientific account, and the two are disconnected.
• in this model, adam and eve did not really exist - they are just characters in the myth of creation.

Model B

• Genesis is not fully historical, but refers to events that took place in particular times and locations.
• Suggests that as anatomically modern humans evolved, or during some period of linguistic and cultural evolution since then, there was a gradual growing awareness of God's presence and calling to which they responded in obedience and worship.
• Therefore Genesis is a story/parable (like in Model A), but one that refers to real events that took place over a prolonged period of time during the early history of humanity.
• in this model, adam and eve also did not really exist. they are symbolically representative of all humans - everyman and everywoman.

Model C

• Very much like Model B, Genesis is not fully historical, but refers to events that took place in particular times and locations.
• Unlike Model B, however, this model locates these events within the culture and geography that the Genesis text provides.
• In this model, Adam and Eve were two Neolithic farmers in the Ancient Near East to whom God revealed Himself in a special way.
• Religions may have existed before that, but Adam and Eve ('homo divinus') marked the time that God chose to reveal Himself and His purposes to man for the first time.

Model D

• This model is known as 'old-earth creationism' or 'episodic creationism'.
• According to this model, the earth is very old as per scientific data, but God has intervened at various points in evolutionary history, particularly:

1. creation of the genetic code
2. formation of the first living cells
3. evolution of the main 'kinds' of animal
4. creation of man

• in this model, Adam and Eve were the first anatomically modern man and woman, and they were created directly by God, not evolved.

Model E

• This model is known as 'young-earth creationism'.
• In this model, scientific data on the age of the earth is disputed or discounted; the earth was created by God around 6-10 thousand years ago.
• All living things were created within 6 literal 24-hour days.
• In this model, Adam and Eve were the first anatomically modern man and woman, created by God on the 6th day.

None of the models are perfect. Models A-C run into serious theological problems. for example, what does the Fall mean if we hold to those models? the author favours Model C, but in that model adam and eve were just two humans chosen out of a large existing population. how then can it be that "sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— " (Romans 5:12) ?

Model E is problematic because it disputes or discounts scientific data. the only reply i can think of that can deal with the discrepancy between the scientific data and the young-earth creationist understanding of genesis, is that God could have created the world with an appearance of great age. but the problem with this view is that it makes God appear to be a deceiver - he tricks scientists into thinking the world is old, which then becomes an obstruction that keeps them from coming to faith.

personally i think i favour Model D. however, it meets a problem very similar to that of Model E; namely, man has every appearance of having evolved, so why did God create him that way? isn't that deceptive as well? off the top of my head, i suppose we could say that God was keeping a kind of thematic harmony; as every other living being was evolved, it might have been aesthetically pleasing to Him that Man also appeared that way. atheists would probably find this suggestion silly, though.

in any case those are the 5 models that Dr. Denis Alexander presented in his book. let us continue to think and ponder over questions that matter. the question of whether adam and eve were neanderthals doesn't really matter, as it has no practical effect on us today. but the question of how we understand genesis and what relationship it has with present-day scientific discoveries is an important one, and one worth thinking over.

feel free to respond or to think out loud in the comments section. =)

When i was a young warthog...

this morning while looking at my bookshelves, i found a diary that i kept when i was 14 years old. i was quite amused to be reminded of what my 14-year-old self had been like; and i thought it might be fun to share some excerpts here. =)

31 December 1995, Sunday
1. Church - 8.30 am (done!)
2. Lace shoes (done!)
3. Wash plates (done!)
4. Piano Theory class - 2.00 pm (done!)

Friend 1 came to IMYF yesterday and church today. i pray that he'll start coming every week. i've witnessed to Friend 2. praying that he will accept Christ. signed up for Baptism/Membership classes today. went to Church watchnight service tonight. gave my life to Jesus to do what He wanted with it. Very significant decision. IMYF Club Hiking next sunday. this year was great. next year i'm going to grow spiritually in my walk with God. it's going to be even better as God helps me through 1996. =)

Note: Signed up for 2:7 as well. =)

Notes from 15 years in the Future:
- For those of you who aren't methodists, IMYF stands for Intermediate Methodist Youth Fellowship. it's for 13-15 year olds; once you're 16 you graduate to MYF.
- i'm tickled and touched by the immense optimism of my 14-year-old self. i still have an optimistic tendency today, but 15 years of Real Life has tempered it with a little realism and sometimes even cynicism. not necessarily a bad thing; but it's refreshing to see the world through the naive and hopeful eyes of my past self again, if only for a short while. =)

8 January 1996, Monday
1. Practice Piano (done!)
2. Wash plates (done!)
3. Theory Homework (done!)
4. Study Geography (oops, not done.)
5. BM Tuition - 7.30 pm (done!)

Today during Geography period, the teacher asked to see her homework. i honestly didn't know anything about it! when she asked me why i didn't do my work, i told her that i hadn't heard anything and she accused me of lying. how can she do that?!?

Anyway, i've had a great day apart from that. looking forward to a brighter tomorrow!

Notes from 15 years in the Future:
- Just in case any foreigners read this, BM stands for Bahasa Malaysia. it is our national language, and is a compulsory subject in schools up to the secondary level.
- still tickled by the optimism, lol! and i remember that geography teacher... she was strict and scary.

11 January 1996, Thursday
1. Practice Piano (done!)
2. Wash plates (done!)
3. Piano lesson - 9.30 am (done!)
4. BM Tuition - 7.30 pm (done!)
5. Maths homework (done!)
6. Science homework (done!)

After IMYF today i didn't go for 2:7 because Mum said Aunty Kim Guat said i shouldn't. i was the only person in the IMYF who signed up for 2:7. Aunty Kim Guat wanted me to be with my own age group (if i joined 2:7 i would be joining a MYF group). in IMYF today Aunty Kim Guat started a Bible Study, so i signed up. i hope i won't be the only one again!

Notes from 15 years in the Future:
- Oh, for those who don't know, 2:7 is a discipleship and bible study course by the Navigators.
- Eventually, in the following year, a 2:7 group was started with kids my own age. it was great! i learnt a lot, and i think it played a big role in helping me to grow and mature as a Christian.
- 4 years later when i was in Form 6, i led a group of younger kids in 2:7... sadly, they quit after finishing book 2 (the whole course is 6 books), saying it was too tough. =(
- Now, as a Youth Worker in Taman Ujong Methodist Church, i am leading another group of youths in 2:7. i pray often for them, that they may grow in the knowledge and love of God. =)

What Happened on Resurrection Sunday?

those of you who are familiar with the Gospels may have noticed that they differ quite a bit, on quite a number of details, in their accounts of what happened on Resurrection Sunday. this has long been a nagging question in my head, but i've just not taken the time to sit down and look at them to see how they fit together, until this morning.

i guess there are probably many ways different people may try to harmonize the four accounts, and perhaps we may never be able to know with 100% certainty exactly what happened that sunday. this, however, is my best guess at how events played out; and i'm reasonably satisfied with it.

if you've ever wondered why the accounts differ, perhaps my reconstruction of events might be helpful to you:


1. There was a violent earthquake. (Matt 28:2)

2. An angel descended, rolled back the stone, and sat on it. (Matt 28:2)

3. The angel's appearance was like lightning, his clothes white as snow. (Matt 28:3)

4. The guards were stupefied by fear of the angel. (Matt 28:4)

5. The guards later recover and run away. (Conjecture)

6. Very early on Sunday morning, while it's still dark, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb alone. (John 20:1)
- maybe she couldn't sleep, or was woken up by the earthquake. (Conjecture)

7. She sees that the stone has been rolled away. (John 20:1)

8. She tells Peter and John, and they race to the tomb. (John 20:2-9)
- Luke 24:12 says that Peter went to the tomb, without mentioning John.*

9. Peter and John leave, but Mary stays and cries. she looks into the tomb and sees 2 angels in white, seated at the head and foot of where the body had been. (John 20:10-12)

10. The angels ask her why she is crying, and she replies that Jesus body has been taken and she doesn't know where they have laid him. (John 20:13)

11. She turns and sees Jesus
- She recognizes Him only when he calls her name.
- He tells her not to hold Him, to go and tell the disciples. (John 20:14-17)

12. She goes to tell the disciples. (John 20:18)
- and she eventually does! but some things happen before that... (conjecture)

13. On the way back, she meets the other women who are going to the tomb and returns to the tomb with them. she doesn't say anything yet, maybe because she's still processing it all and can hardly believe it herself. (conjecture)

14. The women all go to the tomb together, with spices to anoint Jesus' body. (Matt 28:1, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:1 and 10)
- Luke has the most complete list: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary mother of James, and others.
- Mark omits Joanna but includes Salome.*
- Matt mentions only Mary Magdalene and 'the other Mary'.*
- The two Marys are included in all three accounts, probably because they are the most important or well-known women in the list.

15. As they walked, they asked each other, "Who will roll away the stone?" (Mark 16:3)
- note that, as per point 13 above, Mary Magdalene is silent although she knows that the stone has been rolled away.

16. When they get to the tomb, they find that the stone is already rolled away. (Mark 16:4 and Luke 24:2)
- at this point, Matt goes into a flashback to explain why and how the stone has been rolled away (see points 1-5 above).

17. Some of the braver women enter the tomb first. (conjecture)

18. They find the body missing and are perplexed. (Luke 24:3-4)

19. Suddenly, 2 men (angels) in clothes that gleamed like lightning appear, standing beside them. (Luke 24:4)

20. The angels:
- ask why they look for the living amongst the dead
- proclaim that Jesus is risen
- remind the women that Jesus had said that He must be crucified and resurrected. (Luke 24:5-8)

21. As they speak, one of the angels walks to the right side of the tomb and sits down. (conjecture)

22. At the commotion of the angels appearing and speaking to the women in the tomb, the other women who did not enter the tomb at first come in. (conjecture)

23. The angel seated on the right tells all the women,
- Don't be afraid or alarmed
- Jesus has risen
- Come, see the play where He lay
- Go, tell the disciples (Mark adds, "and Peter")
- He is going before you to Galilee. (Matt 28:5-7, Mark 16:5-7)

Notes on point 23:
- I think that Mark doesn't mention the other angel because only the seated angel speaks at this point.*
- Previously, in his flashback, Matt has the angel sitting on the rolled-away stone. but he does not specify the angel's position at this speech, so we can go with Mark in this matter.

24. The women leave the tomb trembling and bewildered, and saying nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. (Mark 16:8)

25. However, Jesus Himself meets them on the way, and they worship Him. (Matt 28:9)

26. Jesus reinforces the angel's words:
- Don't be afraid
- Tell the disciples to meet me in Galilee. (Matthew 28:9-10)

27. While the women continued on their way, the guards who had earlier run away (see point 5 above) go to report to the Chief Priests. They are told to tell people that the disciples stole the body. (Matthew 28:11-15)

28. The women (including Mary Magdalene - see point 12 above) go back and tell the disciples everything, but are not fully believed (Luke 24:9-11) until later, after Jesus makes a few more appearances.

* these points with asterisks are examples of the principle, "an omission is not a contradiction". different accounts may omit certain details for reasons known only to the author; but when we read them together we get a clearer picture of the whole thing.

for example, let's say that while shopping in Jusco i bump into Mr. A and Mr. B. You are close friends with Mr. A, but you don't know Mr. B. Later when i meet you, i say, "guess who i bumped into in Jusco earlier! your good friend Mr. A!"

note that i am not lying to you by omitting Mr. B, although i bumped into him as well. i simply don't mention him because i don't think he's relevant to you. and later, if i meet someone else who does know Mr. B, i can well tell him that i bumped into Mr. B without contradicting my earlier statement to you that i had bumped into Mr. A.

with that principle in mind, i hope that we can see how the 4 gospel accounts of what happened on Resurrection Sunday can fit together to give us a more complete picture of that wonderful event. Moreover, i hope that seeing this will give us confidence to believe that He is indeed risen; and knowing the risen Christ will fill our lives with joy and hope, for He has conquered sin and death. =D

Psalm 105:37-45 - What God Has Done! =)

i preached this sermon last sunday, 18 September 2011. since i've typed out the outline and all as part of the assignment for my LPL (Lay Preacher's Licence) Homiletics module, i just thought i'd post it here.

hopefully it might make my blog a little less dead. =P

What God Has Done!
Psalm 105:37-45

Introduction
• As Christians, each of us should have a story or many stories to tell about what God has done in our lives.
• Today’s passage proclaims what God has done in the life of the nation of Israel.


1. He Brought Israel Out of Egypt

• Explanation:
o Seen in Psalm 105:37-38, 43.
o Historical record found in Exodus 12:31-36.
o The exodus as a type or foreshadow of our salvation.

• Application:
o Get to know the God who saves.
o Be thankful to God for saving us.
o Tell others about this God who saves.


2. He Protected and Guided Them

• Explanation:
o Seen in Psalm 105:39.
o Historical record found in Exodus 14:19-20; 40:34-38.

• Application:
o God protects and guides us even when we stray from Him.
o However, we must follow and obey God to fully enjoy His protection and guidance.


3. He Provided for Them

• Explanation:
o Seen in Psalm 105:40-41, 44.
o Historical record found in Exodus 16:1-3, 11-16; 17:3-7; Joshua 24:11-13.
o Was God unfair to take the Promised Land from its’ inhabitants and give it to the Israelites?

• Application:
o Acknowledge God’s provision and thank Him for it.
o Trust in God’s provision.


Conclusion
• This psalm celebrates what God has done for Israel, and reminds us of what God has done for us.
• In thankfulness and love, may we live our lives as acts of worship to this great God.


For After Sunday:


Think:

I must be mindful what God has done in my life, and be thankful.


Talk:

1. How did you first come to know the God who saves? How can you help others come to know Him too?

2. Share an incident where you personally experienced God’s protection and guidance.

3. Why do we tend to trust in ourselves rather than in God’s provision? What are the effects of such misplaced trust?


Do:

Tell one non-Christian friend about something that God has done in your life.


Remember:

“He brought out His people with rejoicing, His chosen ones with shouts of joy.”
Psalm 105:43, NIV

i didn't actually give out this outline on sunday. i only prepared it after the fact, as homework for the homiletics course. looking at it now it would have been nice if i could have put it in the hands of the congregation for them to look at while i was preaching... something to think about for future sermons.

if you're interested, you can also take a look at the visual aids i used here.

as always, feedback is welcome. =)

Intro to Contemplative Retreat - Day 2: Meditation 1

opening prayer

• Lord, give me grace to stay in Your presence and be attentive to You.
• teach me to hear You, listen to You, talk with You, learn from You, interact with You, worship You, know You - not just from the head, but from the heart.
• my head came in here, thinking of Romans 12:2 - "be transformed by the renewing of your mind". the word 'mind' here is 'nous' in greek, and it actually means heart and mind.
• just the mind is not enough - must have the heart as well!
• i've focussed much on training my mind - now it's time for my heart to catch up.
• reminder to self: don't study with my mind - meditate with my heart!

lectio (reading):

• aiyo! so easily distracted! just read 4 verses from Exodus 3:1-12 and my mind began to wander.
  
• moses' encounter with the burning bush led me to think of divine initiative and human response, which led me to think of the atheists i've interacted with online and wonder how that dynamic has gone wrong (many of them claim that they've responded to God, even begged Him to help them keep their faith, but God just remained silent... as if He didn't exist. which was how they ended up atheists.) this then led me to think of various people i know who may be struggling with or not doing so well in their faith... and i had to clear that and commit them all to God before i could continue. cham lor!
  
• then wanted to write it all here in my journal some more. alamak! distractions are everywhere, even though i'm alone! OK, back to the Word. Lord, help me guard my heart and mind, focus on You and Your Word, not be distracted!
• lectio divina (a method of reading and meditating on God's Word that we were to practice in this retreat, with 4 steps: lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio) is hard. i kept getting distracted when reading the passage. (see above). i'd fall into 'study mode, and/or start thinking about how to teach or preach the Bible's truth to people.
• to use the buffet analogy, instead of actually tasting the food, i'd begin thinking about what ingredients they were made of, and how the dishes were cooked, and how they'd taste to someone of a different culture.
  

meditatio (meditating, chewing over God's Word and hearing His voice):

• anyway, after all the distractions and false starts, i meditated and chewed over verse 7, which speaks of God as

1. the God who sees
2. the God who hears
3. the God who is concerned.

oratio (responding to God and what He has spoken, in prayer, worship, commitment, or action)

• Lord, let me know - really know, not just in my head, but deep in my heart - that You are the God who sees, and hears, and is concerned. that no matter my circumstances, fears, doubts, pains, sorrows, struggles; times of loneliness or failure or despair or hopelessness; i will have You as my bedrock and security.
• because You are my God... You see me, and You hear my cries and groans and prayers, and You are concerned, You care, You love me, You are on my side... even when i'm not on my own side, when i'm inadvertently working against myself and against You.
  
• thank You, Lord, for who You are. may this knowledge of You be branded on my heart and stay with me always. AMEN.

contemplatio (just resting in God's presence, no need for further striving or reflecting.)