Month: June 2022

Rejoice in the Lord

Our human nature tends to be anxious and we are weigh us down with worries. It can be hard to stop our worrying about the many things in life.

In Philippians 4:4, Paul gives us the antidote to worrying. It is, to “rejoice in the Lord always”. Rejoicing in the Lord is not enough. We are to rejoice not just once but “always”. It means rejoicing should be a part of our lifestyle as Christians. 

Not only that, Paul said, “I will say it again: Rejoice!”. It is a repeated command that we should rejoice. 

Why should we rejoice? 

1. God is sovereign.

He has everything in control. We may not feel it at the moment but God’s timing is the best (Psalm 121:2)

2. God is faithful

He never leaves us or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 7:9-11). We are not in need or in wants. He is with us through the though times and the good times (Psalm 23).

3. God sent His Son

Through the works of Jesus Christ on the cross, we are free from shame and guilt (Galatians 5:1; Isaiah 42:6-7). We have forgiveness from God. We no longer live in shame but we have God’s forgiveness and power. We are now living in freedom through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What does rejoicing in the Lord look like to you? 

They Belong to the Ocean

Recently, I watched a documentary called, “Blackfish” on Netflix. It is called Blackfish because the people of the First Nations called orcas that. They believed orcas are spiritual creatures. Orcas are such beautiful and majestic animals! It is such a shame that we human beings take them away from their families and keep them in tiny concrete pools for our own entertainment. 

This documentary is about the orca named Tilikum. He was taken away from his mother when he was just 2 years old. He was sent to SeaWorld, forced to learn tricks to entertain crowds. When he failed to learn a trick, he would be refused food, and his partners would also be denied food. They would get frustrated with him, ganged up on him and raked him. For animals this size, these orcas were locked up in a pool of 20 feet wide and 30 feet deep at night. What an inhuman thing to do! 

The theme park brought in different orcas from various waterparks to try to simulate the community living of whales but these whales came from different backgrounds. They had different culture subsets, different genes, different languages. Hyper-aggressions often happened. It was reported that there were more orcas dying in captivity due to aggressions than in the wild. 

After watching this documentary, I feel strongly that orcas belong to the ocean. They shouldn’t be kept in tanks as a means for profits or entertainment. Taking them away from their natural habitats and families damage them psychologically and emotionally. It also put the animal trainers at risks. This documentary is a must watch, especially if you love wild animals. It will further provoke what we should do to keep wild animals safe. God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, has given human being dominion over all creatures, and this is not an excuse to exploit them for our own gain. 

The documentary, ‘Blackfish’