24th Sept. 2012 by Adeline Lum, CM –
A Jubilee message in DUMC in Petaling Jaya recently , “Today, my friends, is the day that will never be repeated again in history!” exclaimed Senior Pastor Dr Daniel Ho. This very day marked the 50th year since Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore united as the Malaysian Federation in 16th September 1963. What a joy to live in a place you call home.
In Leviticus 25:1-24, Pastor Daniel discussed how God cared for the His people on a national economic scale- laws that provided restoration, rest and rejuvenation.
Law 1: Restoration
Pastor Daniel mentioned that the economic disparity in Malaysia is getting wider, with the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. In Leviticus 25:10, God appointed that each land has to be returned and restored to its original owner in the 50th year, marked as the Jubilee year! Nevertheless, in the current economic climate in Malaysia, hard work does not necessarily pay off with owning a house. Pastor Daniel said, “Houses are not a commodity to be bid for by the highest bidder, but a necessity. It’s only proper for someone to work hard to own a house.” He also reminded us that our free-hold landed properties are in truth, lease-hold from God. However, unfortunately, not everyone can claim the ownership of lands with land titles, namely our fellow Orang Asli friends. For example, when the Bakun dam was built in Sarawak, the natives plight of their destroyed home was captured in these words: “If you say that this is not our land, why don’t you tell us where we come from, so that we can return to our land.” All of us belong to one country, one nation, Satu Malaysia, shall we not tear for their suffering? The principle in restoration is freedom, fairness and fear of God.
Law 2: Resting
In Leviticus 25:11, the 50th year is also the year of rest, where by the lands would not be sown and harvested. Rest is essential for replenishment of energy for people and nutrients for the lands. I would definitely want a year of Jubilee and resting, but how do I afford my living expenses? In Leviticus 25:20-22, God promised that He would make the land yield enough food for three years, so much so that that it would last till the next harvest. God knows we need rest, and He provides a way. The principle of resting is to pray and have faith in God to provide us while we rest.
Law 3: Rejuvenation
The heart of rejuvenation is regrowth. In Leviticus 25:12 and Genesis 1:11-12, we can trust God’s design in bringing forth fruits in due time. “This is the law of eternal justification,” Pastor Daniel explained. For example, if we sow papaya seeds, the land will not grow rambutan trees, because God designs each kind of seed to bear its kind of fruits. Another example is how our wounds heal due to regeneration after a surgery. Because of God’s design, we can trust the promise of a future for us in this land.
Concluding the sermon, Pastor Daniel shared a personal testimony of an oversea Malaysian burdened by God’s calling to return to Malaysia. The story reminded Pastor Daniel of himself 37 years ago. As a university student in United Kingdom, many Malaysian students were apprehensive of returning to Malaysia due to the fall of Vietnam to communism. He remembered his Christian Malaysian friends saying, “Unless the Lord asks me to go home, I will remain here.” Pastor Daniel continued, “But I say, unless God asks you to stay, you come home. God has made us Malaysians for a purpose, a design. On this day of Jubilee, we must make a declaration that Malaysia will not be the same again.”
Let us have the heart of Satu Malaysia, and pray for the authorities and leaders of our country to rule our country in wisdom, fairness, and God-fearing ways.
For more information about DUMC please visit www.dumc.com.my
