The Unforgiving Servant: Part 1 (Matthew 18:21-27)

Hello All,

This poem I wrote on The Unforgiving Servant, which can be found in Matthew 18:21-35, has 13 stanzas so I’m dividing it into Part 1 until 4.

I pray from the bottom of my heart that you will find encouragement in the words of this poem.

The Unforgiving Servant: Part 1 (Matthew 18:21-27)

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (15^th September 2012)

There was a king who called his servants

To settle accounts of unpaid debts

One servant owed ten thousand talents

And did not have enough to pay him back

Since the servant could not pay his due

The king ordered for him, his wife and children

And all that he owned to be sold until

The debts were met with full reimbursement

The servant fell on his knees in desperation

And implored for mercy to make compensation

For the debts he knew he could never cover

With the meagre wages of a lifetime of labour

The king’s heart was filled with compassion

For the servant’s helpless situation

He released the debtor from his debts

Forgave him completely with no grudges kept

TO BE CONTINUED…..

Romans 3:23-24

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

Points for Reflection:

·         Are there times when you feel the weight of your sin too heavy to bear?

·         If so, just remember that if you have accepted Christ as your Saviour and if you believe that his death on the cross has taken away the penalty of your sin, you need not bear your sin on your shoulders for they have been borne by Christ on the cross.

Romans 8:1-2

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

       

·         Have you ever tried to pay God back for the debt of your sin by doing many good works?

·         Just like the servant in this parable, we will never ever be able to cover the debt our sin no matter how hard we try. It is only through Christ’s atoning death on the cross that is able to make us righteous before a holy God. We do not do good works to become worthy of God but we do good works in response to God’s gracious forgiveness for our sin.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

·         Praise God for the assurance of salvation made possible through Christ’s death on the cross. Isn’t it wonderful that we do not have to constantly fear that we are not good enough for God but our good works are the fruits of God’s grace in our lives? 

The Eternal King

Hello All,

Today’s poem was inspired by the recent 13^th general election in our country, Malaysia and Biblical principles were drawn from a sermon on Romans 13:1-7 which was preached by Kenneth Lo, the pastor of my congregation.

The Eternal King

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (10^th May 2013)

In commemoration of Malaysia’s 13^th General Election on 5^th May 2013

We cry out for the reign of justice in our land

For upright authorities who'll strive to defend

The rights of citizens in need of helping hands

A righteous government on whom we can depend

Kingdoms have risen and fallen in history

The cycle repeats as far as the eye can see

For earthly rulers are mere men, not deities

They have limitations surrounded by boundaries

Are your hopes based on the promises of leaders?

'People First' - A campaign statement for commoners

'Change' - Hope for a better tomorrow is offered

'Promises Fulfilled' - Benefits for the people

No ruler can surpass Jesus, the King of kings

'People First' - For us he died with much suffering

'Change' - Once dead in sin but now we've new life in him

He is the fulfillment of Scriptures, of all things

Though it is right to fulfill our obligations

To support the longed-for rulers of our nation

Let us not forget Christ, our solid foundation

The perfect ruler of his eternal Kingdom

Points for Reflection:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Romans 13:1-2)

·         All authorities are from God. It might seem as if the fate of our country is in the hands of rulers and voting citizens who elect their government in a democratic nation.

·         But we must always remember that the power that they wield is actually given by God who instituted them as leaders of our country. 

·         With that in mind, we might ask God in our hearts: ‘God, why have you allowed an unjust and corrupt government to rule our nation?’ No matter how ruthless our government is, God has instituted them to maintain a certain order and prevent anarchy in our country.

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:3-4)

·         Thus, we are called to submit to our ruling authorities and abide by the law. However, that does not mean that we are to submit to them blindly especially when the law requires us to contravene the statutes of our Almighty God. In the Bible, when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon commanded everyone to bow down before his golden statue, three godly men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego defied his order which went against the commandment of God.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

·         Are you struggling to submit to the ruling government of your country? God commands us to submit to them no matter how difficult it is. In a democratic system, we are given the privilege to voice out against injustice and corruption but we are to do it in a peaceful manner and in accordance with the laws of our nation.

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:36-37)

·         Jesus Christ is the King of kings whose eternal kingdom is not of this world.

·         All human leaders, even the noble ones, have their limitations and would often fall short of their promises.

·          But Jesus is a leader like no other.

·         People First - He placed the salvation of unworthy sinners like us above his own even when that meant his suffering and death on the cross.

[Jesus Christ] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

·         Change – Because of our sin, we were enemies of a holy God and destined for eternal judgment in hell. But Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, became our substitute and took upon himself the punishment that we deserved. Because of his triumph at the cross, those who believe in him have been reconciled to God as his friends and are able to look forward to eternal life in heaven.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5) 

·         Promises Fulfilled – All the promises in the Old Testament regarding the coming of Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world came to pass. He is the only leader who has perfectly kept all the promises in his Word when all other human leaders fail.

 “Do not think that I [Jesus Christ] have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)

·         If you are trusting in Christ, isn’t it comforting to know that you are part of God’s kingdom and that Christ is your loving and perfect ruler? In light of the political situation in our country, have you been putting your faith in human leaders instead of God?

·         If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, I pray that God will open your heart to receive him as the King of your life. While all other politicians in the world may fail you, Jesus is the only loving and self sacrificial ruler who will never disappoint you.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 2012

Hello All,

On this very special day, I would love to extend my warm wishes to all mothers who have sacrificed much for their beloved children.

If you are thinking of treating this day as an ordinary one, my advice to you would be to reconsider your plans. The least that you could do is to call your mum and wish her ‘Happy Mother’s Day’.

Today’s poem was written last year for my mum but I did not have the chance to use it until now.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY 2012

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (9^th May 2012)

Dedicated to my wonderful mum, Law Sew Lian

There are no words that can express

The gratefulness of this heart so blessed

For a mother who does her best

To comfort me when I'm in distress

The treasures in this world can never buy

A faithful mother on whom I can rely

Who is there to console me when I cry

And wipe away the tears from my eyes

I thank God for a mother who always prays

For His guidance when I have lost my way

And for His peace, my fears and worries allayed

As I tread on the winding paths each day

Points for Reflection:

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her (Proverbs 31:26-28)

·         I am truly thankful to God for a godly, loving and caring mother who has brought me up in the ways of the Lord.

·         With regard to my mum, Proverbs 31 is the Bible passage that best describes her.

·         For those who are blessed with godly mothers like I am, do take some time to thank God for them and show your appreciation not only during Mother’s Day but also love, respect and care for them daily as God commands us to.

For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ (Matthew 15:4)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” (Ephesians 6:1-3 ESV)

·         Some of you might be thinking: ‘Well, I do not have a godly, loving or caring mum but one who gets me on my nerve most of the time so I will just try to avoid her as much as possible’ or ‘My mum is a responsible mum who fulfills all her basic obligations but she is just too distant and I barely know her as a person’ or ‘My mum was hardly around to care for me in my greatest hour of need so why bother?’. Although you might find it difficult to love and be patient with your mother, it will be helpful to remember that we are able to love because God first loved us while we were yet unworthy and unlovable sinners.   

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son [Jesus Christ] into the world, so that we might live through him. (1 John 4:7-9)

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

·         As Christian mothers, it is absolutely important to constantly remind your children to know, love and obey God.

·         How are they supposed to know, love and obey God unless you read God’s Word to them and encourage them to glean the treasures of the Holy Bible? Children are always looking up to their parents as role models and you should set a godly example for your children to follow.

·         Have you been putting in effort to instill godly values in the hearts of your children? If you have, let me take this opportunity to commend you highly for your endeavours and exhort you to continue doing so. If not, I do pray earnestly that you would seriously consider starting now before your children are all grown up and would no longer take instructions from you. There may be some of you with children who have grown up and sadly have turned away from the Lord. You might think to yourself: ‘There is no hope for my children who have left the faith.’ But that is not true at all. Even if your children would not listen to you, do not give up praying for them to return to our Lord Jesus Christ.   

The Prodigal God: Part 5 (Luke 15:11-31)

Hello All,

Just a final recap before we come to the end of this parable:

·         The younger son demanded a share of his father’s property even while his father was still alive, left home and plunged himself into wild living in search for excitement and meaning in life.

·         After splurging all he had on wild living, famine struck and he was reduced to a feeder of pigs when he decided to return to his father who welcomed him with open arms.

·         The younger son was reinstated into the family and a big feast and celebration was held for his return.

·         The older son was angry at the warm welcome given to the younger son of whom he deemed as unworthy and refused to join the celebration although the father pleaded earnestly with him.

The Prodigal God: Part 5 (Luke 15:11-31)

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (20^th June 2012)

His father sighed and answered patiently

‘My dear son, you have always been with me

Everything that belongs to me is yours

But as for your brother who has been restored

He has returned home safe and sound

We should welcome him back with no disdain

For he was once lost but now he is found

He was once dead and is alive again.’

My dear readers, this is a tale of two sons, not one

It tells not only about ‘The Prodigal Son’

Both sons had their hearts fixed on the father’s things

They had no concern for their father’s feelings

          

     

The younger son obtained his father’s property

Through outward rebellion of ‘self-discovery’

The older son secured his father’s riches

Through half-hearted service and obedience

This story shows the heart of our heavenly Father

Whose tender love and care can compare to no other

Through Christ’s precious blood, our salvation he has bought

Extravagant in his grace, he is ‘The Prodigal God’

THE END.

Points for Reflection:

In this parable, we see that it was not only the younger son who was lost but both sons had their hearts turned away from truly loving their Father. They had their eyes set on the materialistic blessings that they could get from their Father’s wealth and property.

The only difference is the way they sought to obtain those things. The younger brother got his share by being very rebellious and went on a journey into the world of self-discovery. The older brother kept all the rules and did everything his Father told him to do out of obligation.  

There are some of us who can identify with either the younger or older son or perhaps with the both of them at different stages of our lives.

The word ‘prodigal’ means extravagant which is commonly used in a negative sense to denote the extravagance of the younger son in squandering his Father’s wealth on wild living. But if we use the word ‘prodigal’ in a positive way, we could turn our focus from the younger son to God who is extravagant in his grace to sinful people like us. This extravagant grace is clearly displayed on Calvary where Christ died an excruciatingly painful and agonizing death to set us free from the dominion of darkness so that we can be accepted into the family of God. 

Just as the Father in this parable yearned for the return of his two sons, so does our Heavenly Father desire for our hearts to return to him. If your heart is still far away from him, why don’t you just turnaround, take that first step towards home and find comfort in the arms of The Prodigal God?