Never outdated - The Holy Bible's lasting appeal!

As I read the bible more and attend more bible teachings, it just amazes me how this book which was probably written eons way way back can be so incredibly relevant and applicable even in our modern society today. Just two points I want to share that I've been enlightened towards as I read the old testament:

1. The MULTI-TASKING wonder woman of the old testament

Attended this bible conference over the past 2 nights organised by RBC Ministries (Singapore). Came to know of this through the mailer and I straightaway blocked out the 2 dates on my calendar and committed myself to attending this conference. The theme was "Making Choice Choices" and the speaker was one of ODB's very own writers, Prof Alice Matthews (an amazingly gifted woman of God who's 77 this year and still speaks with so much projection and fervour).

In one of her sermons on Judges 4 and 6 last night, she spoke of Deborah the prophetess. I just completed that book recently, so some of the stories were still fresh in my mind. But what was truly remarkable was that though little was mentioned about Deborah, this admirable woman of God, Matthews was able to extract such powerful lessons we can learn from that little amount of info. It just accentuates the richness of biblical text that subtly conveys many useful and life transforming messages that the layperson will fail to see. Well, guess that's debatable cos' the magic of the bible maybe comes in how God touches us at that point as we feast on His word and how he touches and reveals to us certain things. But anyway, she drew so much from that and I really gleaned a lot of wisdom.

Anyway, back to Deborah...In Judges 4:4, it says:

"Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time."

From this simple line, you can see that this woman was first someone gifted with the talent of prophesy which she accepted and used for the glory of God (MINISTRY). Second, she was the wife of Lappidoth; she had a family and in those days women had to fulfill many traditional duties as a wife and mother (WIFE). Thirdly, she was a Judge, someone who spoke God's word to the people and ensured that the people of Israel were accorded their rightful justice; she was a public servant and military leader (CAREER). The order speaks for itself--the order of priority these roles should take in our lives. Just in this one line, it shows how she weighed her priorities and how we can learn from women in the old testament. They were not all housewives, they were women who had to face the same difficulties and role conflicts as we do today. And Deborah, a woman of faith, displayed her strength and commitment to God in the way she accepted her gifts and used them but also relied on God's empowerment and truth. She was strong in character and personality. This was a woman that the millenial ladies of Christ can learn from!

2. Where are the MEMORIALS today?

As I did my Quiet Time this morning, a point was brought up to me among the notes in my study bible. The gist of it reflected how modern people can stand to gain from establishing memorials in our lives as God granted us victories and miracles. In the old testament, we read about the people of Israel laying rocks and building altars to extol the wonders of God and how He faithfully helped them overcome all odds and win the battles they had fought. And we go..."What does that God to do with us?" The fact that such instances have been repeated so many times as we read the old testament means that something is important there--something that is worth our reading and learning.

Many times we go through difficult patches of our life wondering where God is. What we fail to dwell on (since we end up spending our mental resources focusing on our current difficulties and stresses and just seeking some form of deliverance from God) is our past victories--how God restored us or delivered us in the past. Many of us can't remember those things but what we can learn is that when we recall those fulfilled promises we are encouraged and strengthened. We stand to gain from establishing memorials. Be it a journal or blog(;p) entry about our victories which we can fall back on in times of need, or perhaps a photograph of a successful event in our ministry. These can really remind us and encourage us in our times of need. But most importantly, they always help us remember that God is the source of our strength. Without God's power we could never make it through on our own. In this way, we honour Him as we "build these memorials" and strengthen ourselves as we recall past glories.

So who says that the bible is outmoded and irrelevant? In my opinion, it's the best self improvement and management book that is applicable across all contexts and life situations. Everyone can stand to gain from its wisdom. Everyday as we read His word it teaches us to be better managers of our lives and helps us to grow and become more and more like Him. Amen to that!