The Lion and the Lamb

We organised a creative retreat yesterday on Silent Saturday for a group of creatives. Our facilitators, Estelle and Francesca led us in a series of reflective and prophetic activities through the entire afternoon.

One of them was blindfold painting. I had a vision of placing my entire hand on the paper plate where I had poured out five colours I liked, then sweeping my hand across the canvas. And I heard Him say, "Dance with me."

So I stood up and did just that! 

It was so much fun swaying along to the music playing in the background, not thinking about what the result would be. Such a stark contrast to my first experience in blindfold painting a few years ago, where I had been so worried about how the painting would turn out and didn't enjoy the process at all.

When I sensed that it was enough, I stopped and sat down. Then I heard Him say, "Look at your hand." So against Estelle's instructions (haha!) I took off my blindfold and looked at my hand.

First, I saw the golden heart shape. Then I realised there's a hole in it and immediately thought of Jesus' glory and His love for us displayed through His nail-pierced hands. What a beautiful reminder to continue reflecting on all that He had done for us on Good Friday the day before this.

When I looked at the painting on the canvas in landscape orientation, which was how I had painted it, I didn't see much in it. So I turned it around to portrait view.

I was struck by how the darker colours at the bottom rose up to the bright orange at the top, much like flames but also reminding me of beauty from ashes. 

Later, one of the participants at my table suggested that I should look at it from afar. That's when I saw the lion!

If you can't see where it is, the following comparison may help. During a recent trip to Jeju, Korea, I had been struck by one of the many lion paintings at the hotel where we stayed (Leo Hotel, and of course Leo means Lion in Greek!)

The lion in my painting is facing the same direction as the Jeju lion but has a more benevolent expression.

As I reflected on all this today, Resurrection Sunday, I'm amazed at how He led me to express the Easter message in this 2-in-1 painting. 

Firstly, the painted nail-pierced hand points to the lamb led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7) and who was slain (Revelation 5:6). 

Then on the third day, He rose from the grave and now He is the lion of Judah who sits upon the throne in heaven (Revelation 5:5,7), as symbolised by the lion on the canvas.

And both the hand and the canvas were painted on at the same time, through one single process. That's just like how the Lion and the Lamb are one, and both are found in the same One, Jesus.

Furthermore, the process of letting go and allowing the Holy Spirit to direct the entire painting process is a lesson in learning to trust in God even in the midst of circumstances that are beyond our control. 

I'm not a skilled painter and there's no way I could have painted a lion from scratch on my own. But when I allowed Him to paint through me, this was the incredible outcome!

Jesus, the triumphant King, has already overcome the world. That's why we can have peace even though there will be trouble (John 16:33). And when we invite the Holy Spirit to take control, the same power that resurrected Christ is in at work in us (Ephesians 3:20) to overcome all things!

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Revelation 5:13

See my previous entry with reflections for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

P.S. it's been 3 days and this morning I happened to glance at the painting from the breakfast table. The sunlight revealed the shiny crown on the lion's head! Can you see it too? Indeed, He is our Risen King!!

The Last Supper

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the painting, The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see it depicted in 3D format at the Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju.

What caught my attention was not so much the figures around the table. Rather, it was the lone bear (person) peeping in from outside the door.  

I wonder what was holding him back from joining in the meal. Perhaps self-doubt, inferiority and insecurities? "I'm not good enough" or "I don't know enough" or " I've done too many bad things", and many other possible self-accusations could have immobilised him.

Many people are like that in real life too. They see all the good that believers do, and acknowledge the benefits of belonging to the Body of Christ. But they just don't feel that they are qualified to join in. 

Even among believers, some are reluctant to engage deeply with others in fellowship. It could be that they're afraid they'd be 'found out' - warts and all. Or perhaps they feel inadequate, and they must study the Bible some more before they can be ready to serve.

On the other hand, there are those who have come to the table eagerly. Yet they are also the ones who deny Christ and betray Him at times, like Peter (who denied he knew Jesus three times after Jesus' arrest) and Judas (who led the soldiers to arrest Jesus). In fact, I should change this to first person as none of us are perfect, hence there will definitely be times when we turn against Him and fall into sin.

However, regardless of whether we stand outside the door or used to be at the table but have fallen away, Jesus is beckoning us to come to the table.

The first ones He ate with after His resurrection were the unnamed disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). They weren't from His inner circle, and hadn't been at the Last Supper. 

There's no need to feel unworthy, for He welcomes and accepts everyone no matter who we are. No qualifications are needed as He has already given every person a free pass through the Cross.

As for Peter who had denied Him, Jesus also restored fellowship with him through a meal. He made breakfast for Peter and the other disciples present, before reaffirming their love for each other through the "Do you love me?" exchange (John 21:1-27).

Despite whatever we've done to let Him down, He receives us at the table each and every time we repent and turn back to Him. We don't need to carry our own guilt (so don't be like Judas), for He has borne all of it for us on the Cross.

Come to the table, one and all!

Then the owner of the house... ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.'

- Luke 14:21-23

See my next entry with further reflections on Easter or Resurrection Sunday.

The Lord’s Prayer - "Give us this day our daily bread" (13 Jun 2021)

We discussed this phrase during our family time last Sun, so I thought it would be appropriate to feature photos of the various food items we've received from others in the past two weeks. 😋

Here are some of the points brought up during our discussion...

Give

We have to ask for God's provision. And we also have to receive with thanksgiving when it comes. (Duh... you may be thinking, "Isn't that obvious?" Haha!) Sounds simple but we often take it for granted. The key here is that we need to be intentional in asking, and be thankful for what we receive, so that we are fully reliant on Him and do not start to think that we deserve whatever we have or that we gained it all through our own work.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we won't need to work and can just sit around, waiting for His provision to fall down from the sky (in case you haven't realised, manna days are over!) 😅 It does mean, however, that we should be about God's work, doing what He shows us to do through the Holy Spirit. 

When we work, it should not be by our own strength, nor chasing after selfish or worldly desires, so we don't labour in vain (cf. Psalm 127:1-2). When we are led by the Spirit to do the work that He wants us to do, and doing it His way, then He will surely provide for us even when it may not be a well-paid job by the world's standards (sometimes it may not even be paid at all).

As long as we are in His will, then we have the confidence that when we ask for what we need, we will receive (1 John 5:14, Matthew 7:7).

Us

This points again to community - and a family is a community. Maybe like me, you've also wondered before whether there's any link between verses 1-2 and verses 3-5 of Psalm 127 as they seem to be about two distinct topics. But if we look at the first two verses in the context of God’s provision (when we build our homes according to His ways), then the next three verses imply that He will continue to provide for us when we have children (and that is why they are a blessing from Him, not a burden).

This day

We must keep asking everyday in order to practise complete dependence on Him, and learn to trust in Him alone.

Our

God has already alloted to each person the appropriate portion, which will always be sufficient (cf. Exodus 16:18). So there's no need to worry that we won't have enough or try to store up extra as insurance. It may very well turn smelly (Exodus 16:20)! 😜

Also, sometimes He may give in bulk to a whole community and then it's up to us to divide it among ourselves. So if we think at a macro level, it could mean that some of the extra provisions that we're getting is meant for someone else. Hence, we need to be sensitive to the needs of others around us and be ready to give to those He directs us to.

Daily

God gives us what we need for each day so we don't have to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). Certainly, it is wise to have savings. After all, He did instruct the Israelites to save up a double portion of manna for the Sabbath (Exodus 16:22-26).

However, we need to be careful we don't fall into the trap of thinking that we need to save more so that we can fund our children’s further education, help pay for their weddings, chip in when they buy their own houses, and even sponsor our grandchildren's diapers and toys and education... and the list goes on and on... When we start worrying about what all the tomorrows may bring, it's never-ending!

Just be contented with what He gives, and if He does grant us more than enough then save it up for there is probably a need that He is providing for in advance. But have faith that He will continue to provide for each day so we won't keep striving to earn more and save more than what we actually need.

Bread

In addition to physical food and other material needs, His bread also includes spiritual food - His Word. In fact, spiritual bread is even more important than physical food (Matthew 4:4), as it's by the Word of God that we can live out Psalm 127 (which we looked at above). So no matter how busy work may be, do not compromise on time spent in studying His written Word (logos) and soaking in His Spirit in order to receive His living Word (rhema) on a daily basis.

Bonus

There were two lies that I had believed in from young (as a pre-believer). One was that I had to prove myself in order to be loved. The other was that I must fend for myself so as to survive. These two lies led to a fear of failure in me.

Over the years, I had already cast out these two lies and replaced them with God’s truth that He loves me regardless of what I do/don't do/achieve/don't achieve, and that He will provide for me. I had also overcome the fear of failure for myself.

However, the Holy Spirit showed me that I had subconsciously imposed this fear of failure on my children. On the surface I kept telling them that they are loved and valued despite their results, and that God will provide the right school and course for them (provided they pass). Yet deep down I still hung on to the fear that if they failed, they might not be able to make a living or even be able to do what God wants them to do.

So when we started praying together after our sharing, I repented before God and sought the children's forgiveness for passing on this fear to them. And I assured them that it'll be ok even if they fail, as long as they have tried their best, for God will surely provide a way for them to go because He loves them unconditionally and our Father only has the best in store for His children (Jeremiah 29:11)!

Check out other insights we received about The Lord's Prayer:

• Our Father
• in heaven
• hallowed be Your Name
• Your Kingdom come
• Your will be done
• on earth as it is in heaven

The Lord’s Prayer - "on earth as it is in heaven" (6 Jun 2021)

Recently, I was involved in an arts project in a public space where we tangibly brought heaven down to earth! It happened not only because we featured a wide range of artforms from different cultures and traditions, which gave people a peek into heaven where all nations, tribes and tongues will worship Him with the incredible creativity that He has bestowed on every culture and people group. It was also because we had artists of all ages, backgrounds and abilities including some with special needs, hence reflecting the Kingdom of heaven as described in Luke 14:15-24. Another key factor was how we were able to serve together in unity and display God’s love for one another, such that relationships between artists that are typically broken through comparison, envy and pride were redeemed to reflect Psalm 133.

However, that was just a one-off event. It's much easier to bear with one another, and overlook each other's mistakes or things that annoy us when we know it will only be for a short while. So what would it take for us to enact the Kingdom of heaven on earth on a day-to-day and long term (think lifelong) basis?

As we thought about this during our family time, we realised that when we ask for heaven to be revealed on earth, we become God's agents who have been empowered to bring it about. Hence, when we pray, "Your Kingdom come," we cannot simply sit around and wait for Jesus' second coming. We need to be up and about, using the gifts and talents that He has equipped us with to do the work that He has prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), so that we display heaven for the world to see wherever He places us.

In order to do that, we have to be different from the world. We need to live out heavenly values and attitudes. But here we face the problem of not having a complete understanding of these Kingdom values. How do we work out seemingly opposing qualities like grace and truth, love and holiness, mercy and justice, meekness and power? And how do we know for sure whether each decision we make is right, when we have such a limited comprehension of these Kingdom traits?

The only way to be sure is if we hear directly from God Himself and follow His every instruction. And that's what it would be like if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, led by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit (see Galatians 5:16-26). Rather than acting according to our fleshly desires or be influenced by our own soulish thoughts and emotions, we need to let our spirit be so filled by the Holy Spirit that He is the one directing us in everything that we think, say and do.

Just like how meat is cured by burying it completely in salt or immersing it fully in brine solution over an extended period of time, we need to soak ourselves constantly in His word, prayer and worship so our entire being can be infused with the Spirit. Then similar to every flavourful bite of cured meat, we would ooze His fragrance through every word and action.

Furthermore, we should also be patient and continue doing the things He shows us to do faithfully even when we don't see the expected results. Again looking at the curing process, the salt takes time to thoroughly remove moisture from the meat and thereby preserve it. As the salt of the earth, the impact and transformation we bring to the world surely also requires time and perseverance. 

Check out other insights we received about The Lord's Prayer:

• Our Father
• in heaven
• hallowed be Your Name
• Your Kingdom come
• Your will be done
• Give us this day our daily bread

The Lord’s Prayer - "Your will be done" (23 May 2021)

We had viewed episode 2 of The Chosen Season 2 on Saturday night and while we were contemplating the meaning of "Your will be done" during our family time on Sunday, it suddenly struck me that allowing God's will to be done in our lives would mean giving up our own plans and following His plans. [spoiler alert] That was exactly what Nathaniel went through as he sat under the fig tree watching his architectural plans for the temple he had wanted to build go up in flames, literally! And how he sobbed, and rent his clothes, and sprinkled ashes on his head...[end of spoiler] the grief is real. 

But all that was nothing compared to what Jesus must have experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was in such agony when He said, "Not my will but Yours be done," that his sweat was like blood (Luke 22:42, 44). [spoiler alert] That's why in episode 5 of The Chosen Season 2, while pondering the heaviness of what they are called to do, Jesus says to John the Baptiser, "I'm always ready to do my Father's will, but that doesn't make it easy." [end of spoiler] So He understands when we find it hard to surrender our own will and yield to His will... the struggle is real.

God doesn't force us to submit for He has given us free will to choose. But when we willingly choose to lay our own desires down to take up His desire for us out of a heart of worship and love for Him, that pleases Him tremendously. Yet, we often start to look at the world around us and wonder why we should abandon the achievements and successes that others enjoy. Surely God has promised us an abundant life (John 10:10), so how could He be asking us to give all that up? And so... the sacrifice is real.

So what can help us to be confident that we are making the right decision when we follow God's will rather than our own? God is not bound by time, instead He sees the beginning and the end (Isaiah 46:10). In fact, He is the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:13). Hence, when He reveals His will to us, that is Him letting us in on the good that is going to come out of it, for His plans are never to harm us but to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11). Because He is a loving and faithful Father, we can trust Him to make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28) when we do His will... the promise is real.

We also need to redefine what 'success' means according to how God sees it. He does not measure our achievements in the same way the world does. When He calls us to do His work, we can be assured that it would bring about something of eternal value, even if it can't be seen by our physical eyes. If we are willing to forsake the things of the world to build His Kingdom here on earth, we not only leave behind a spiritual legacy, our works would also survive the fire when we meet Him on that day (1 Corinthians 3:13-14)... the reward is real.

Finally and most importantly, God yearns for us to do His will because then we would be partnering with Him. That means, we would be working alongside Him and spending time with Him. That is God’s desire, to be with us.  [spoiler alert] Again, in episode 5 of The Chosen Season 2, when Simon the Zealot asked Jesus why He would want him to join His team when he had nothing to offer, Jesus replied, "I have everything I need. I wanted you." [end of spoiler] And of course, when we get to walk with our Father daily, listening to His voice, wrapped in His embrace, watched over by Him, in perfect communion with Him... the joy is real!

Check out other insights we received about The Lord's Prayer:

• Our Father
• in heaven
• hallowed be Your Name
• Your Kingdom come
• on earth as it is in heaven
• Give us this day our daily bread

The Lord’s Prayer - "Your Kingdom come" (16 May 2021)

Continuing with our family discussions of The Lord’s Prayer, we talked about what God's Kingdom is like and how we have experienced it in our own lives.

We considered the concept of 'already but not yet' in that His Kingdom has already come but not yet in full until Jesus comes again to establish His complete reign over the "new heaven and new earth" (Rev 21). In the meantime, we are often torn between staying under His Kingship and authority while being tempted to go over to the other side and relinquish the authority He's given us to the enemy. 

This struggle could come in many different forms. For instance, we might not have a proper understanding of what it means to be princes and princesses of God. For some, we may not realise the authority and the riches that He has given us and continue to live with a poverty mindset. For others it could be the other extreme where we flaunt God's gifts and blessings or Lord it over others with a holier-than-thou attitude. 

There are also those who may appear to be doing God's Kingdom work actively but end up building their own kingdoms instead due to pride, relying on their strength, or following their own plans rather than God's plans.

In fact, from OT times God had been telling His people how to live in such a way that His Kingdom would be actualised through them. But they didn't quite get it so when Jesus came, He explained it to them again in a different way through His teachings such as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). Unfortunately, these lessons are so counter-intuitive that many of His children still don't really get it.

So although His Church is meant to display such Kingdom values and way of life, in reality we often find it lacking. Yet, all is not lost because we can still enact God's Kingdom in our own lives as well as through our families and communities. For through the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we build His Kingdom here when we display His fruit through our words and actions, love one another with His love, and submit wholly to His Lordship and authority in our lives.

Therefore, when we pray, "let Your Kingdom come," we are asking for His help to teach and mould us so we can be empowered to reveal His Kingdom to the world through us!

Check out other insights we received about The Lord's Prayer:

• Our Father
• in heaven
• hallowed be Your Name
• Your will be done
• on earth as it is in heaven
• Give us this day our daily bread

The Lord’s Prayer - "hallowed be Your Name" (9 May 2021)

We paused our discussions in this series for the last two weeks as there were other more pressing topics to cover. But today, we managed to get back on track during our family time with the next phrase in the Lord's prayer, "hallowed be Your Name."

The definition of the word 'hallowed' includes 'holy', 'revered', and 'honoured'. There are various versions of this phrase and one of them in particular is, "May your holy name be honoured" (Good News Translation). 

So when we pray for God's name to be honoured, it is not only a declaration of our reverence for His holy name, but also an expression of our hope that all peoples, tribes and tongues will one day know and honour Him as we do. This phrase thus encapsulates the two most important commandments (Mark 12:30-31) - to love God as well as to love our neighbours! 

The Jews believe that God's name is too holy to be spoken and thus replace it with the tetragram YHWH. Although it is true that God is our Friend (James 2:23) and Brother (Mark 3:34-35), we have to be careful that we do not take God's grace and love for granted and forget the fear of the Lord. 

In fact, all our actions should be governed by it. Joseph is a good example of how one can even set aside deep-seated emotions and desires like anger, bitterness, self-righteousness and revenge, in order to put God and His purposes first.

In addition to our physical well-being, our emotional and mental health are also tied to a proper awe and reverence of God.

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:7-8)

The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. (Proverbs 19:23)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

However, it is not enough to merely fear God. We also need to know Him. And it is only through experiencing Him that we learn to know His voice (John 10:27). We shared with one another the ways we each experience God most intimately:

• He speaks to us when we worship Him through music and the arts
• He reveals Himself to us when we read His Word
• He communes with us when we spend time chatting with Him
• He shows us His ways through people and circumstances around us
• He sends insights, revelations, ideas and solutions whenever we seek and ask 

Hallowed be Your Name, o Lord! And may our reverence for You lead others to also honour Your Name.

Check out other insights we received about The Lord's Prayer:

• Our Father
• in heaven
• Your Kingdom come
• Your will be done
• on earth as it is in heaven
• Give us this day our daily bread

The Lord’s Prayer - "in heaven" (17 Apr 2021)

This evening, we continued our discussion of The Lord's Prayer during our family time with the phrase after 'Our Father'.

One of the kids wondered if heaven were all white, so we read Revelation 21:19-20 which says:

 

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

We searched online for pictures of all the different precious stones mentioned and were amazed at the wide range of vibrant colours, textures and opacities. Then I realised that the batik pieces Aimee and I had painted earlier in the afternoon (beautifully designed diamonds by our friend Farah), may very well look as colourful as the gemstones in heaven!

With such incredible riches and beauty in heaven, what a stark contrast it must have been for Jesus when He entered this world in a dark and dirty manger! I was reminded of Philippians 2:6-8 which tells us about Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!

God in heaven is also Emmanuel who is with us. So where God's presence is, there heaven must be too! Therefore we as carriers of His presence, help to reveal glimpses of heaven on earth through the Holy Spirit working in and through us. This is not only in terms of signs and wonders or miracle healings, but also in the day to day working out of our faith as we grow in Christ-likeness and display His love for others.

Having a Father in heaven also reminds us of our identity as heavenly people and that our home is in heaven (Ephesians 2:6). Since we are only passing through, we should focus on storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

We tried to imagine what the earth would look like from heaven and figured that everything must be really tiny to God! His power transcends all that we know and are limited by in this world, and nothing is too difficult for Him. What a mighty God we serve! And if God be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

Check out other insights we received about The Lord's Prayer:

• Our Father
• hallowed be Your Name
• Your Kingdom come
• Your will be done
• on earth as it is in heaven
• Give us this day our daily bread

The Lord’s Prayer - "Our Father" (11 Apr 2021)

We've decided to discuss the Lord’s Prayer during our weekly family time, phrase by phrase. So I will try to capture here some of the main points and insights received as we go along... 😅

1. Our 

This points to community. God is a community in Himself - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are made in His image, so we also need to be in community with one another.

It also implies communal worship and prayer where we are in agreement, and everyone is of equal status before Him. Therefore every person's unique relationship and experience with God is equally valuable.

2. Father

The moment a baby is born into a family, it is to be expected that the parents will care for, feed and protect the baby. So we can also be assured that our Father will care for, feed and protect us. 

There is no need to earn His love by proving ourselves worthy. He already loves us and always will just because we are His children.

As a Father, God not only loves and forgives us, but He also teaches and disciplines us. So He is the God of both the OT and the NT.

God is not distant but is always near to us. Just like how a child can run to an earthly father who lives in the same home whenever there's a need, we can call out to Him anytime.

For many believers, our perception of God the Father have been marred by the imperfect parenting we have received (or possibly also from the influence of imperfect spiritual elders/parents we have encountered). We need to examine ourselves and repent if we have been a stumbling block to anyone. We also need to seek God’s healing and restoration if anyone has caused us to stumble. 

3. Our Father

We are all His children and belong to the same family. He has no grandchildren and every believer has direct access to Him as His child. There's no need to go through one's earthly parents or anyone else.

Check out other insights we received about The Lord's Prayer:

• in heaven
• hallowed be Your Name
• Your Kingdom come
• Your will be done
• on earth as it is in heaven
• Give us this day our daily bread